A cafe owner in Minneapolis decided to take a chance on someone, and it changed their life forever.
Cesia Abigail, the owner of Abi’s Cafe, was approached by a homeless man in baggy clothes asking for money — but instead of a handout, she gave him a helping hand instead.
After the homeless man, named Marcus, asked her for financial assistance, Abigail responded, “Why don’t you have a job? You know nothing is given to me for free, right?”
Understanding what she was getting at, Marcus attempted to explain his situation, “Well, I have a lot of felonies, and no one wants to hire me for that. So, now I had to turn myself to the streets and get money the only way I know — stealing and asking for money.”
Even though Abigail’s cafe wasn’t doing very well at the moment, she couldn’t help but show compassion and offer him a job washing dishes for the day.
“I will do anything for food,” was his genuine and heartbreaking response.
He immediately put on an apron and got to work. He was happy to earn his keep.
When Marcus was finished with his dishwashing tasks, Abigail offered the hungry, homeless man a sandwich. What she witnessed moved her deeply.
After offering him a sandwich, he wrapped half in tin foil, ran outside, and gave it to a homeless woman.
“That really touched me,” Abigail told CBS News.
After working for two hours, which is all Abigail could offer him, he was paid and went on his way. The very next day, he returned. Then returned again. Every single day, Marcus showed up on time to work for 2 hours.
Abigail hopes to make the position a permanent one.
“Some restaurants wouldn’t even let you use their restrooms,” she said. “I don’t judge someone on how they look — go use it. I do not treat [homeless people] any different.”
Abigail posted the story on Facebook, and it quickly went viral. It’s been shared over 55,000 times with over 200,000 reactions.
It turns out that Marcus has been living on the streets for over 16 years and has been struggling to pull his life together. Abigail offered to help by setting aside 10% of his income for a savings account.
“Just like Marcus, I had my help,” Abigail explained. “I had plenty of people to help make it to where I am today. They believed I could do it. People need to have someone believe in them.”
Her interview with Fox News is below, and hopefully, this compassionate gesture will spur more acts of kindness.
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