Homeless Man Overwhelmed By Support From Woman Who Helped Him Get Back On His Feet After Stopping To Chat

Jun 28, 2023

On a daily basis, almost everyone meets new people, maybe on the streets, at their workplace, or even just at a random location. This is the main reason why people should treat each other with kindness, and this is exactly what a woman from Ontario did to a man she didn’t even know.

According to CTV News Toronto, a woman named Danielle MacDuff said she saw a homeless man in the town of Newcastle in 2023. The then-stranger named Brian Bannister was reading a book and asking nearby locals for change.

The woman decided to talk to him, and they had a fruitful conversation that lasted for over 25 minutes. She then thought of a genius idea by inviting Bannister to work on her farm.

Little did MacDuff know that she would change the homeless man’s life for the better. 

Bannister, who was 60 years old at the time, said he didn’t have a proper roof above his head when he met her. Aside from being homeless, he also struggled with different problems throughout his life as he was a former addict.

In addition, he also survived abuse, lost two wives, one in an accident and the other one to cancer, and he was at his lowest point as he had already given up in the past two years before the heartwarming interaction.

Luckily for Bannister, things have changed since then. MacDuff, whom he had never even met before, rescued him by giving him a job at her farm to take care of the animals twice a day.

Aside from giving Bannister a job, which required him to clean stalls and take care of over 200 animals, including dogs, cows, horses and more, MacDuff also got him his first haircut in over two years.

MacDuff also went one step further by being a good samaritan and giving him a phone and access to financial support from the provincial government. The woman’s kindness didn’t stop there as she also set up a GoFundMe page in February 2023 in hopes of helping Bannister get back on his feet and raise money for him to have a place to sleep in.

“I took the time one day and I knew from that very moment, I needed to help him get back on his feet,” she wrote in the description of the fundraising website.

As of June 2023, the page had already raised $11,516 CAD and is no longer accepting donations from the public.

Regarding their working arrangements, it appears that the two have already created a bond and a friendship as they enjoy each other’s company.

“He’s so kind, compassionate, he’s amazing with my children, my animals,” MacDuff said of the man.

On the other hand, Bannister was in awe after finding out that the local community had been doing their best to help him, as he told the outlet: “It’s overwhelming. I can’t believe anyone would care for me this much.”

Elsewhere in the interview, MacDuff opened up about her dream of helping people in need, as she mentioned that she hopes the community could “get everyone off the street,” but it would take a lot of manpower to do that.

“I think that’s why we’ve come so far in such a short time,” she added.

What do you think of this heartwarming interaction between a woman and a homeless man? Would you have done the same thing? Let us know your thoughts, and make sure to pass this on to your friends and family.