This Photo Turns NYPD Cop Into Hero

'Tis the season for a little feel-good news, and this story out of chilly NYC more than fits the bill. As the New York Times explains, 25-year-old Officer Lawrence DePrimo was on duty in Times Square when he encountered a barefoot homeless man walking gingerly on his heels with visible blisters on his feet on Nov. 14. After learning his shoe size, DePrimo ducked into a Skechers store, then knelt on the ground as he helped the man put the new pair of shoes on—a moment captured on the cellphone of an Arizona tourist, who later described the shot to the NYPD in an email.

It requested a copy and in turn posted it to Facebook on Tuesday, where it has gotten more than 311,000 likes as of this writing. And one kindness begets another: The Times notes that the manager of the store was so touched—or, in his words, "shocked"—that he gave DePrimo an employee discount, bringing the cost of the all-weather boots down to about $75 from $100. DePrimo, who lives with his parents on Long Island, says he has since kept the receipt on him, "to remind me that sometimes people have it worse." (More timeless news stories.)