Donations pour in for elderly man who called 911 because he had no food

A community is coming to the aid of an 81-year-old man after he called 911 because he was hungry and unable to leave his home.

Clarence Blackmon returned home on Tuesday after months of cancer treatments at a local hospital. But his refrigerator was empty, and with no way to get to a grocery store, Blackmon called 911 for help.

"What I need is someone to get to the grocery store and bring me some food because I need something to eat, whatever you can do to help," Blackmon told 911 operator Marilyn Hinson. "I can't do anything. I can't go anywhere. I can't get out of my damn chair."

The operator who answered Blackmon's call went above and beyond the call of duty, and with the help of officers, she hand-delivered the groceries herself to Blackmon's door.

"He was hungry," said Hinson. "I've been hungry. A lot of people can't say that, but I can, and I cannot stand to see anybody go hungry."

"It was like a little miracle ringing in my ear," said Blackmon. "I thought, 'Well Jesus, you answered all of those prayers,'"

Now, Blackmon's refrigerator is overflowing with food. Numerous people are offering food and help to the 81-year-old.

"We had numerous calls, emails, folks calling us directly, folks are calling our call center, folks are dialing 911 basically saying, ‘How can we help Mr. Blackmon?'" said Fayetteville Police Officer Antoine Kincade.

Blackmon will soon have a health nurse who will check in on him twice a week.

Blackmon said any extra donations he doesn't eat will go straight to the Salvation Army, so that others will not go hungry.