We all know that the world is ultimately made of lovely people, but it's nice to be reminded from time to time.
One of these wonderful reminders comes from a small cafe owner in America's Midwest, where a homeless man entered Abi's Cafe asking for money.
But owner Cesia Abigail refused to give the man charity. Instead, she hired him and paid him for his labour.
"Why don't you have a job? You know nothing is given to me for free, right?" said Abigail, 25, to Marcus who has been homeless since he was 16.
He responded with, "Well, I have a lot of felonies and no one wants to hire me for that, so now I had to turn myself to the streets and get money the only way I know, stealing and asking for money."
Abigail, who was short-staffed that day, replied with, "You want to work? I have a job for you!"
"His eyes opened wide and his smile made my day!!!!" she posted on her personal Facebook page.
Her Facebook post has since gone viral, with the heartwarming act touching thousands across the world. It has received more than 43,000 shares and 146,000 reactions.
Abigail recalls how when she gave Marcus a sandwich on his first day, he wrapped half of it in foil, and ran outside to give to another homeless woman. "That really touched me," Abigail said.
Abigail recalls how when she gave Marcus a sandwich on his first day, he wrapped half of it in foil, and ran outside to give to another homeless woman.
Over the following two weeks, Marcus continued working for Abigail on daily two-hour shifts. But as of last Friday, Abigail made his position permanent.
Though things appear to be looking up for Marcus, Abigail says he still has lots to do before he turns his life around for good.
"It's going to be hard for him to let go of whatever addiction he has," Abigail said. "I want to help [him], but [he] needs to want to help [himself.]"
But meanwhile she is teaching him to save, by setting aside 10 per cent of his earnings each pay.
Abigail says she's adamant restaurants and businesses need to help the disadvantaged, saying without extending a hand to the less fortunate, they risk becoming part of the problem.
"We want change? Well, start by making one," she posted.
Here are a few cafes in Australia that also make the effort to help the disadvantaged.
(Twitter) Source: Twitter
https://www.instagram.com/p/BDHhxVlGRFd/
CafeSmart is an initiative within StreetSmart: Action Against Homelessness. Cafe Smart allows cafes from around the country to donate $1 per coffee they sell, for one day of the year. This year, CafeSmart will take place on August 5.
(OzHarvest) Source: OzHarvest
