I was wiping trays when I noticed a man outside—tired eyes, worn flannel, a plastic bag over his shoulder. After hesitating, he stepped in, carrying the cold with him. Before I could greet him, my 12-year-old son Nevan beat me to it.
The man asked quietly, “What can I get for 50 cents?”
Nevan called out, “You hungry?” Then, without a pause, handed me his wrinkled $5 allowance. “Can he get a meal with this?”
The man hesitated. “That’s too much.”
Nevan shrugged. “I was gonna buy something in a game. But I think you need this more.”
He didn’t wait for thanks. Just sat back down.
Later, the man quietly showed me a photo of his son. “Your boy reminded me of him,” he said with teary eyes.
The next day, Nevan helped me make a care package. That Friday, we saw the man again—Nevan handed it to him. Paige, a friend, recognized him and offered help connecting him to a warehouse job in Kansas City.
Weeks later, Paige returned with news: he got the job.
Nevan just smiled. “It was just five bucks.”
But it wasn’t. It was hope. And a reminder—kindness can change everything.