A woman took a picture of a sleeping McDonald’s employee and shamed him online, but when the truth was revealed the man received compassion and support from the community.
The woman took the picture of the man sleeping in a Fayette County McDonald’s and posted negative comments on it on her Facebook, what she did not know was that he was homeless and was trying to get some sleep between shifts.
But after knowing the truth behind Simon Childs plight, the community has rallied behind him and donated hotel rooms and clothes for him and his child. “I’m not homeless, not now, thanks to her. I’ve been going through a hard time with my mom passing,” he said.
The 21-year-old’s mom died recently and he is raising his son on his own, “Everything I do, I want to work for it,” he said. He said he was hurt to see his sleeping pictures on social media. But the outcome has been positive for him because when he returned to work, he was shocked to see piles of donated diapers for his son, supplies and clothes for him.
Restaurateurs, Chefs Xavier and Theo Thomas who own Fusion Chefs Eatery at Glynn Street South, were particularly touched by his story and decided to do something for him. “It just touched our heart,” Xavier Thomas said. They let Childs borrow their restaurant’s car for his job interviews so that he could get a better job and give his son a proper life.
A woman took a picture of a man asleep at a McDonalds and complained on Facebook, and how the community responded changed his life forever.
“I’m not homeless, not now, thanks to her.”
@ 11 #Nightbeat pic.twitter.com/OFQ6iYRu5r
— Matt Johnson (@MattWSB) June 24, 2019
Today Childs holds no grudges against the woman and says that thanks to her he is no longer homeless. He is looking to start a new career and has even received a new haircut thanks to the community to help him on job interviews. He says, “I didn’t think the community would even care enough to do that, but they care,” he said.
Many of us are aware how devastating social media shaming can be for a person, and to hear of such a positive outcome of it is so heartwarming.
UPDATE – 02/06/2019
The woman apologized to the homeless McDonald’s employee for shaming him online.