Carmen Mendez and her boyfriend were on their way to get some fried chicken when they spotted a homeless woman near the entry, the woman was quite dirty but sober, she was standing quietly close to the trash asking people for their leftovers.
As everyone put their trash into the bin, they looked at her but just carried on throwing their food in the trash!
Mendez said on Instagram:
“Not one person said yes, they all ignored her and threw it away, it broke my heart” … “I have been volunteering with the homeless now for many years… they don’t repulse me or make me sick to my stomach. I hold them all with so much love.”
Carmen, who felt heartbroken by what was going on decided to give the homeless woman her leftovers if she was still there when she finished, but 20 minutes later she had gone!
She said:
“I looked for her as we were getting ready to leave and couldn’t find her” … “I felt sad knowing all the rejection she had that night searching for a warm meal.”
Sadly, Carmen was about to throw her food away when she heard a small voice say:
“Can I have your food?”
Without a moment of hesitation, Carmen gave her food to the woman with a big smile, but it just didn’t feel like it was enough.
Mendez said:
“I felt like a horrible human being feeding her my leftover chicken strip… she deserved so much more… so I bought her a whole meal… she deserved to eat a hot meal”
Carmen boldly went to the restaurant counter to get the woman a full hot meal, and politely asked the restaurant to let her stay to eat it! The woman was clearly in tears and appreciative of what was happening here.
Mendez then said:
“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.”
Most of us would agree that to give a homeless person money would be foolhardy or possibly feed some addiction, but no one could fault Carmen’s show of selflessness and compassion.
I hope it inspires more people to do the same in the spirit of humanity and the betterment of it!
