A moving photo of a California woman hugging a homeless woman went viral and tugged at the heart strings of thousands.
Two years ago, the photo of a California woman named Carmen Mendez embracing a homeless woman went viral on Facebook. The embrace followed Carmen’s decision to buy the homeless woman a warm meal from the fast food joint the woman spent time begging for leftover food in.
In a post on Facebook, Carmen revealed she had no idea her boyfriend captured the moment on camera. After hesitating to share the picture on Facebook, the California woman decided to post it with the hopes of it encouraging others to follow her example.
“As we waited for our order, I saw this homeless lady walk in asking people that were throwing away [their] leftovers if she could have them. Not one person said yes, they all ignored her and threw it away,” she continued. “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.”
Mendez tried to locate the woman when she finished eating.
After finishing her meal, Mendez had a single chicken strip and a handful of fries left on her tray. She searched the restaurant for the woman hoping to offer her leftovers.
“As I was gonna throw away my one leftover chicken strip and like five fries, I heard a very quiet voice ask me if I had anything left. I turned around and it was her.”
Mendez happily offered her leftover food to the woman. As she watched the woman eat the leftovers, something in the pit of her stomach did not feel right. Feeding this woman her leftover food she intended to throw away made her feel like a monster.
“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.”
Helping the homeless community is a longtime passion of this California woman.
Carmen told TODAY she volunteered for homeless shelters as often as she could and spent a lot of time trying to find homes for people within the homeless community of California.
“I live in an area that’s not the greatest. Literally right outside my door there are homeless people at the parks. So sometimes I’ll go sit with them and ask about their day, and ask if they want to go to a shelter. I’m more than happy to put them in my car and take them there.”
For Mendez, few things could compare to the look on the woman’s face when she offered her an entire warm meal.
“I have never felt something like this… pure, real gratitude. 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.”
People have shared Carmen’s Facebook post nearly 100,000 times. Positive comments from people with warmed hearts continue to pour in. Most agreed the world would benefit from more people like Carmen Mendez.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
source: Today
