A Small Act at the Grocery Store Starts a New Ripple

--by Byrdwoman, posted Sep 5, 2010

There are two men who are almost always outside my grocery store, in various states of dishevelment. One is sometimes (but not always) in a wheelchair. He holds a sign that says he is a vet and "anything will help." The other man is younger, nearly toothless, and if he were not in such a public place, would maybe frighten me a little. I have walked past them countless times, on my way to buy my family's weekly groceries.

I don't usually like to give money to panhandlers. But I see these guys so often, that I decided to make eye contact, say a deliberate "Hi" and smile at them, instead of ducking my head away and ignoring them. In both cases, I got a startled "hello there" back.

Last week, while waiting in the deli area, I noticed the pre-made, plastic-wrapped sub-style sandwiches. I grabbed two of them, two extra apples, and two single-serving juice bottles. On my way out, I walked up to the vet and said, "Are you hungry? I got you a sandwich." He took sandwich, apple, and juice, and said, "God bless you." I said, "You, too!" When I asked the other man, "Are you hungry?" he looked so surprised that I wondered when the last time was that anyone had actually spoken directly to him.

It was so easy to add those few items to my grocery bag and I felt like I had maybe helped just a little. I've decided that I will buy a simple "meal" like that each time I go to the store, for whoever is waiting outside.

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Posted by Byrdwoman
Sep 5, 2010
Comments (22)

Readers Comments

madeusmile wrote: A very kind idea! I'm sure they appreciated it so much!

heartofflesh wrote: Great ! You take care of atleast one person and his hunger by giving him something to eat everytime..Yes..that's all the world needs....everything little thing matters!! I am sure God has put that desire in your heart to do that !!!

momov3 wrote: We never truly know how a person that is in the situation you described got there, but that is not the issue. The issue is- what can I do- right now- to make it just a little better for them. The first thing is not to judge, the second thing is to remember it doesn't take much to end up homeless these days, the third thing is- we are all more alike than different and how would I want to be treated? I have a chronic illness and at one point was only able to get around in a wheelchair. I was so very offended the day a store clerk saw me in the wheelchair and proceeded to speak to me as if I had a mental deficiency. It was my legs that didn't work- not my brain. She made a terribly wrong assumption and I was deeply offended. I had to forgive her and the lesson I learned is to never judge and to treat others truly the way I want to be treated. Kindly, humbly and lovingly. Great story Byrdwoman, and God Bless You for caring about someone who obviously has slipped through the cracks of society. You may never know the difference your kindness made in these 2 lives- but I'm sure the fact that you treated them as just regular humans touched something deep in their souls.

heartofflesh wrote: I was touched bythe story and also by the comment by momo whichwa relly enlightening !! God bless you both !

unknown wrote: This needs courage BW :)
You have it ... Courage makes connectivity worthwhile ... Thanks for sharing ... I will think about overcoming my own dips ... you take care, deepula.

harvester wrote: A great concrete act of kindness and you avoid the worry that cash might go to a habit thats not as healthy as meal!

Aurelia wrote: I'm so glad you followed your heart and came up with a perfect meal for them! You are an Angel. :) Thanks for sharing this story with us.
~Aurelia

smsram wrote: You have done kind job and god is with you. You can do one thing. You can identify the beneficiaries like this with in your command area they may be 10 or 20. You may prepare sandwich for all of them and deliver them on one day a week and if you identify seven persons like you, you can serve them daily it will be more meaningful

melesai wrote: By the grace of god go i. Great job on giving and the plans to keep on doing so. Blessings.

Maryjersey wrote: It's a decision, isn't it? Recently i was in newark and a "veteran" was going from table to table, asking for money for food. I said i wouldn't give him money but i would buy him dinner. He got mad and left. When my friend and i were leaving the area, we saw him. Obviously high and zoned out on the sidewalk. I will buy people food but i won't give money for drugs or booze. Sigh. There but for the grace of god go i.

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