The call came late one evening—an unanswered 911 from a child led a first responder to a modest home where eight-year-old Mateo stood barefoot, clutching a phone. Calmly, he said, “I’m hungry. We haven’t eaten all day.” Inside, the home was clean but empty. Mateo’s little sister Sofia was asleep, and their mother, working late, hadn’t been able to leave food. With barely anything in the fridge, the responder knew the family needed support, not punishment.
