Mom Raises $46K To Show Gratitude To Food-Service Worker Who Bought Kids Dinner Because She Forgot Purse

Nov 03, 2020 by apost team

McDonald's restaurant is a popular place for high school and college students to work. They can learn responsibility, add to their work history, and earn some much-needed cash. But the following Ohio teenager earned more than he bargained for while working at McDonald's after he paid for a woman's meal earlier this year.

Wyatt Jones could be any teen working at a famous fast-food restaurant. During the much talked about story, he wore their trademark t-shirt. He also had on a facemask and a baseball cap worn backwards. As is the case for many high school and college students, Wyatt hoped to earn some money. Teens often work at this restaurant to pay for school tuition, for some extra spending money, or to save up for a particular purchase. This teen hoped to put his restaurant earnings toward buying a car of his own, according to CBS 19 News.

As the local news outlet reports, Wyatt was working at the drive-thru of his employer. He was busy covering the cashier position. This position was fast-paced and involved taking orders, taking payment, and handing meals through the window. 

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Brittany Reed could have been any fast food customer that day. She was in her car with her children, and two of them were crying. This is not an uncommon sight at such establishments. Reed was driving her three children home from a fall football game, as she detailed in a Facebook post. When she mentioned she had planned to serve red potatoes, her 7-year-old burst into tears. This prompted Reed to drive toward her local McDonald's.

As Reed pulled her van up to the drive-thru, she placed an order for herself and her children. By then, all three children were crying and needed to eat. Taking an order from a parent with crying children was just another day at work for Wyatt.

As Reed reached for her purse to pay for her family's meal, Reed realized she had left her purse at home! After Wyatt opened the drive-thru window, Reed confessed her missing purse. Without any money, she couldn't pay for anything to eat. She explained her predicament and politely asked Wyatt to cancel the order.

Instead of canceling the order, Wyatt decided to intervene. The teen reached into his own pocket and pulled out his own wallet. He then paid for the family's meal using his own meager resources.

The young mother's first instinct was to stop Wyatt from going to the trouble of spending his hard-earned cash. Then, she snapped a quick picture of him using her smartphone. Reed then found out his name.

After she got home, Reed went to her purse and got enough cash to pay Wyatt back. She rushed to the restaurant and promptly handed him the money. Since it was a bit more than the cost of her meal, Reed had to beg the teen to accept her generosity.

Handing Wyatt a little extra cash was only the beginning. Since she had his name and picture, she took to social media to spread the word about the young good samaritan. She wrote a glowing Facebook post about her experience at the drive-thru:

"I just want his parents to know how KIND & COMPASSIONATE your son was tonight," Reed wrote. "He made this stressed out momma pause for a moment and realize this is exactly what we parents are trying to do, raise great humans. Well Wyatt sir, you are an amazing human!!!"

Reed didn't just describe her experience to her online audience. She went one step further. She addressed the post directly to Wyatt's parents and even thanked their son for reminding her that parents must always work to "...raise great humans."

Wyatt's mother, Lisa Jones, initially heard about her son's good deed online. Wyatt never told his mother because he thought being kind was just a part of his job. Brittany Reed's words let his family and community know all about Wyatt's kindness. They also helped her to enlist the help of strangers and friends. Together, they were able to show Wyatt one great kindness.

Reed used the power of her words to fuel a GoFundMe page for Wyatt. Through this site, she raised $46,000 for Wyatt. She hopes it makes a good start for his vehicle purchase fund. It's time to make your love and gratitude for young people like Wyatt travel around the world.

Sending this article to others will surely spread Wyatt's kind-hearted selflessness.  Have you been the beneficiary of an act of kindness like Lisa experienced? Let us know!