Untied shoe leads family to help child who showed kindness
SPRING HILL, Fla. - A simple act of kindness at a McDonald’s in Spring Hill, Florida ignited a chain reaction of giving Friday night. A little boy wearing worn-out, taped-up shoes now has a brand new pair, and much more, thanks to the kindness of strangers.
Jesus Harris' shoes were on their last leg.
"I've been needing a new pair," the 9-year-old said.
He was at McDonald's Monday night with his family when he kindly complimented a stranger about her shoes. Fourteen-year-old Allie Breland recalled, "He was like, 'Your shoe is untied.' I was like, 'Thank you,' and then he was like, 'I like your shoes.'"
Allie couldn't help but notice Jesus' shoes.
"I feel like we should help everyone when we have the chance," she said.
Allie and her family, along with her dad Donald, offered to buy him a new pair.
"Just three or four months ago, I was homeless myself. We moved here from South Carolina and we didn't have nothing. I always said if I get to a spot where I can help people, I want to help people," Donald Breland said.
Breland posted about it on a Spring Hill community Facebook page and was flooded with messages from others who wanted to help so he set up a time for anyone to drop by -- at the same place where it all started.
"It felt good. I'll tell you, it's like I say: Karma. You gotta pay it forward. You never know when you're going to need help," Sandy Hampson said.
Hampson gave the family a new set of towels.
"Reading his post and being a Christian and understanding where he was coming from really touched me," Malinda DeJesus said.
DeJesus gifted Jesus with free haircuts for one year. She was one of many who stopped by Monday night with socks, shoes, clothes, and even a skateboard.
"He doesn't ask for much so this is why it's so very special for him," Jesus' mom, Kim Harris said. "I had no idea there were so many nice people."
He also got a brand new pair of shoes.
When in doubt, Jesus says, just always be kind.
"You have to be kind. Like kindness is the number one thing, I guess you could say," he added.
Jesus hopes what happened can inspire other kids to be kind.