On February 10, in Taylor, Michigan, 11 year old Jacob Robinson ran across Eureka Road near Inkster to grab snacks.
đź’” A SNACK RUN THAT NEVER CAME HOME
On February 10, in Taylor, Michigan, 11 year old Jacob Robinson ran across Eureka Road near Inkster to grab snacks.
He never made it back.
He was struck by a vehicle. A normal afternoon turned into the kind of call no parent should ever receive.
The kind that splits life into before and after.
When news spread through the community, it reached Eric Sloan, a local business owner and father of a 12 year old boy.
“It broke my heart,” he said.
No press release. No fundraiser launch. No committee meeting.
He got in his car.
He drove to Jacob’s house.
And he handed Jacob’s mother, Tonoya Robinson, a check for $5,000.
Quietly.
He didn’t plan to speak publicly. But he realized something important. If people saw someone step forward, maybe they would too. So he shared the story not for credit, but to spark momentum.
Tonoya received the gesture through tears.
“It feels good… while you’re grieving,” she said. “I love my community. Love. Nothing but love. It was from Jacob. That was from Jacob.”
Because sometimes, in the middle of unbearable loss, what keeps a family standing is not answers.
It’s people.
A father seeing his own son in another child.
A business owner choosing compassion over comfort.
A community refusing to let a family grieve alone.
Jacob’s story is heartbreaking.
But the response reminds us of something just as powerful.
Tragedy can take in a second.
Love answers back just as fast.
And in the quiet space between loss and healing, a community decides who it wants to be. đź’›
