--- title: 911 Operator Brings Hungry Old Man Groceries description: A 911 operator brought a hungry elderly man groceries when he was too weak to leave the house canonical: https://time.com/3857853/911-operator-elderly-man-groceries-food/ author: Olivia B. Waxman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-05-13T22:06:52.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:43:34.837Z og:title: See How a 911 Operator's Good Deed Helped a Struggling Man og:description: Marilyn Hinson went above and beyond og:url: https://time.com/3857853/911-operator-elderly-man-groceries-food/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: See How a 911 Operator's Good Deed Helped a Struggling Man twitter:description: Marilyn Hinson went above and beyond twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # See How a 911 Operator's Good Deed Helped a Struggling Man > Sponsored content. 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Waxman Staff Writer May 13, 2015 10:06 PM UTC  by [Olivia B. Waxman](https://time.com/author/olivia-b-waxman/)  ## Olivia B. Waxman Staff Writer May 13, 2015 10:06 PM UTC When a hungry, elderly North Carolina man called 911 because he didn’t feel well enough to go buy food, one of the operators personally delivered groceries to him, [reports](http://abc11.com/society/elderly-cancer-patient-calls-911-because-he-has-no-food-/718448/) ABC 11 Eyewitness News (WTVD). “I can’t get out of my damn chair,” the recently hospitalized 81-year-old Clarence Blackmon of Fayetteville, N.C., told 911 operator Marilyn Hinson, [according to](http://abc11.com/society/elderly-cancer-patient-calls-911-because-he-has-no-food-/718448/) the news station. He asked if someone could bring him a head of cabbage, cans of beans and beets, popcorn, tomato juice and a soft drink. Hinson not only brought him groceries, but also made him ham sandwiches to save for later. ABC 11 Eyewitness News (WTVD) [reports](http://abc11.com/society/elderly-cancer-patient-calls-911-because-he-has-no-food-/718448/) a home health aide will be coming by to help him keep the refrigerator stocked in the future. ### The Dionne Quintuplets: Little Girls Lost in the Harsh Glare of Fame  A view of the "Dionne Quintuplets" posing in their confirmation dresses on day of their first Holy Communion, 1940. Hansel Mieth—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Writing lesson in nursery schoolroom is the Quins' first exercise in the discipline of formal education. Above (left to right): Cecile, Annette, Emilie, Marie and Yvonne study a word on the blackboard, then duck their heads to print it out. Hansel Mieth—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. From left to right: Cecile, the dilettante, learns easily but loses interest quickly; Yvonne is the leader with initiative; Marie has caught up with her sisters in growth but is still the slowest of the five; Annette has developed the most marked musical talent; Emilie, left-handed, is the prankster. Hansel Mieth—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Tourists pulling up to visit the home of the Dionne Quintuplets, Canada, 1940. Hansel Mieth—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Souvenir store specializing in Dionne Quintuplets merchandise, 1940. Hansel Mieth—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Public . . . files into Dafoe Hospital observation pavilion for quick glimpse of Quins. One-way screens and large signs saying 'Silence' make their presence a minimum distraction for the Quins. Hansel Mieth—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  The Dionne Quintuplets standing around their guardian, Dr. Allan Roy Dafoe, 1940. Hansel Mieth—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  (Clockwise from top left) Marie, Emilie, Yvonne, Cecile, Annette Dionne, 1940. Hansel Mieth—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Quins' bare feet explode rumor that they have web toes. Actually one evidence of their identicality is a partial fusion of second and third toes, found only in one in a 1,000 people. Hansel Mieth—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Three of the Dionne Quintuplets playing in the yard of their home/compound, 1940. Hansel Mieth—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Paper cutouts are Marie's favorite means of self-expression. She does them neatly and with great deliberation, here with the indulgent approval of Mme. Gaetane Vezina, governess of the Quins. Hansel Mieth—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Modeling in plasticine and sketching with crayon give Emilie an outlet for her strong sense of color and form. She has here drawn the plan of a house and grounds in colored plasticine strips. Hansel Mieth—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Marie's eyes are examined by Dr. William Hill of Toronto. Her left eye showed improvement, her weaker eye none. She will need glasses Hansel Mieth—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Quins get up at 7:30 in the morning, dress together in the big bathroom. Hansel Mieth—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  The Dionne Quintuplets sing on CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corp.) radio, 1940. 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