I often pass homeless people on my way home and everytime it makes me sad to see, no matter what their story is. All people deserve to be treated with respect. To have a roof over their heads. What makes me even more upset is when I see how some people look down on these people in need. Something similar happened to this woman as she was having dinner in a restaurant in California. A homeless woman showed up in the restaurant and began to ask the guests if she could have their leftovers instead of them being thrown away. No one cared, instead they ignored the woman completely. Everyone except Carmen Mendez.
Carmen and her boyfriend were at the fast food restaurant together when the homeless woman entered the establishment. She walked from table to table politely asking customers if they would consider giving her their leftovers.
Everyone ignored her, many even looked at her with disgust. Carmen – who has been working with homeless persons for many years – just couldn’t take it. She decided to take action.
When she had finished her meal, she gave the woman what was left of her food.
“I gave her my food and watched her sit and eat it… but something didn’t feel right. I felt like a horrible human being feeding her my leftover chicken strip. She deserved so much more…”, Carmen wrote in a Facebook post.
Carmen then went to the counter and ordered the woman a full meal.
“She was getting ready to get up and leave when I surprised her with this meal (…)The look on her face said it all…I have never felt something like this…pure, real gratitude,” Carmen continues.
Photo: Carmen Mendez/Facebook
“That hug she gave me was like a hug I had never felt… Those tears she shed were felt deep in my heart…I held her tight and let her let it out. I wasn’t repulsed by it… I just held her. And that is a moment I will never ever forget. So next time you judge a homeless person think twice… Not all of them are homeless because of a drug addiction or because they are lazy.”
Carmen posted the picture of her and the woman on Facebook. In a little over a week her post has received over 220,000 likes, with close to 100,000 sharing the beautiful story behind it. Thousands more have shown their love and support by commenting on the post.
I truly believe that people like Carmen deserve all the attention and love in the world. If more people were like her, this world would be a far better place. Please help spread this simple act of kindness so that others can be inspired.
