Seeing people begging for money or sleeping on the streets makes you wonder how they ended up in such a difficult situation. No matter the reason — everyone needs a helping hand every now and again.
A man named Johnny Servantez from Indianapolis snapped a photo of a homeless man panhandling for money. The man wasn’t only homeless — he was starving. His body was reduced down to nothing but skin and bones. It broke Servantez’s heart.
Thousands of people were driving by this man every single day — and yet, he couldn’t find enough money to feed himself. He was literally starving to death in the middle of the road while people drove by.
Servantez posted the photo of the man on Facebook with the caption:
“I had to give this poor guy some money. I NEVER give panhandlers money… But this guy’s stomach was hitting his back and [his] ribs popping out.
If you are at Thompson and Madison [in Indianapolis] throw him a buck or two, at least.
The man isn’t that [expletive] skinny by choice. I’ve seen skinny drug addicts. And this man is suffering from starvation.”
Minutes after sharing the picture online, it was shared hundreds of times. It turns out that the homeless, starving man’s name was Johnny Rhodes and the post reached the person he least expected — his brother, Danny Rhodes.
Danny hadn’t seen his brother in over seven years — he disappeared after the passing of their mother. Danny says that he searched for Johnny but it was like he had disappeared into thin air. Johnny was known to have a substance abuse problem which added to the difficulty of tracking him down. Even with the image on Facebook, no one could find Johnny.
A woman named Amy Ranae Smith, a complete stranger, started a Facebook page called “Team Johnny Rhodes.” She asked people who joined the page to share Johnny’s location if they spotted him. Soon — hundreds of tips came in.
Because of the help of a total stranger, Johnny and his brother were reunited for the first time in seven years.
Although Johnny declined professional help, he received a hot meal and a safe place to stay. Danny plans on continuing to reach out and stay in touch with his brother. Amy shared a bit about their meeting on Facebook:
“He had two meals, a [hot] shower, a pair of clean clothes, a room to himself with quiet, a king size bed, TV with cable, fridge, a microwave, Pepsi and leftovers. He is safe and resting.”
Even though Johnny prefers to spend his life on streets, hopefully, his story will keep the community aware of his whereabouts so they can update the Facebook page for his family.
The original Facebook post is below; it’s been shared over 1,700 times.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
