PETERSBURG, Va. β A Petersburg High School resource officer who became a foster parent to three teenagers and regularly buys meals for hungry students has been named the Petersburg Police Department's Officer of the Year. Joshua Cuba, 33, received the honor during the department's annual awards banquet this month for his work both on and off duty.
Cuba became a foster parent to three children ages 14 to 18.
"They changed my life for the better. I tell them often, they saved my life, their coming. God brought them to me," he said. "It took me six months to get certified through the state."
While working at Petersburg High School, Cuba noticed some students were acting out due to hunger and lack of basic needs.
"In conversation with them, I would just ask, 'have you even had anything to drink today? Have you eaten today?' And many times they hadn't or they were hungry," Cuba said.
That prompted Cuba to begin stopping at Griffin Lounge to buy food for students in need, paying out of his own pocket.
"At first we thought it was [food] for the police department," Griffin Lounge owner Faris al Sanabani said.
He eventually learned the truth, that the food was for hungry students at the school.
"He knew there were some hungry kids out there and he was just making it happen and that's the extra that you really appreciate in people," Fort Lee Colonel Michelle Kelly said.
Cuba said his recent award will always remind him to be a hard charger every single day to change lives for the better.
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