Paying it forward is a new idea that has developed in cafes around the world, and its concept is very simple. You simply pay for the next person’s food or drink so that they get a free meal or drink.
In some cafes the concept of paying it forward has evolved into a scheme to help the homeless, offering free warm meals, drinks, and some offer schemes for jobs and skills. Schemes such as this have made a huge difference in helping the homeless get off the streets and develop skills, get jobs and homes, and ultimately help to lower the number of people living homeless.
Social Bite Sandwich Shop in Edinburgh is a key example of one of these inspirational shops. 1 in 4 members of the staff was formally homeless, offering suspended coffees and sandwiches, which those less fortunate can come in and claim. In Philadelphia, Rosa’s Fresh Pizza has walls decorated in post-it notes symbolizing free pizza slices for those who cannot afford to buy one.
The concept was born in Italy with ‘suspended coffees’ and has grown into a worldwide phenomenon that just goes to show how kind and caring we humans can be.
It’s not just cafes and coffee shops, however, there are stories all over the Internet of men and women buying food for those who can’t afford it, showing kindness to people in their hour of need. One example of this is a Facebook status that went viral across the Internet.
A man bought a McDonald’s meal for a woman, who could only afford to feed her son, and went to great lengths not to let her know who did it. What’s even more heartwarming about this story is the note he wrote her with the words:
“Keep your head up and keep pushing forward. You can. You will.”
It is these small acts of kindness that remind us of what is important in life and make us have faith in humanity. The men and women in our society can’t afford the things we can need to love too; they need kindness and motivation, just as we all do.
The pay-it-forward phenomenon has proven that we are all capable of great acts of kindness, even if they seem small. What’s small to you can be huge to someone else.
This website uses cookies.
View Comments
pretty sure the Suspended Coffee originated in Canada ,I have been doing this for years .I dont believe a single day should go by without Paying It Forward even if its just a simple smile or holding the door for someone . What a better world this would be if everyone participated :) Blessings To All <3
I thought it origonated in Canada too. Glad I am not the only one.
Of course it did, we're awesome! :)
This is a good story and helping our fellow man should always be our focus. However, there is a much more important lesson to be learned as well. We should teach our children how to choose a mate. Our families are in shambles because people fall in heat, fall in crush, fall in infatuation. Love is not about looks, or sex, or money, or party-time. Love is about consistency, honor, dependability, loyalty, hard work, truth, and freindship. You can sweep someone off their feet with "game" but that is not sustainable. A lifelong mate is not found at a club, in a bar, grinding groins on a dance floor, or usually in a quick hook up. If we taught our children this they could choose better and then their kids would not be shuttled back and forth. They would not feel the pain. They would not suffer the insecurity.
My 2 cents...
I got married at 26. Had children at 30. 13 years and 2 children later my husband left because he didn't want to be a father anymore. He took off with a childless woman. I could not pay the mortgage on my own salary. He said he couldn't send money because he had to pay for his new beach house. I paid for food and electricity. 18 months later the court ordered child support. He still didn't pay. 6 more months and his wages are now getting garnished. It is not always the fault of the mother. There are many deadbeat fathers out there.
Erin Mooney Vanlandingham I don't think he was pointing fingers only at moms. It's for everyone who chooses to disregard that honor, dependability and loyalty. Your ex chose to not hold up his end and should have thought better than to put you through that as someone he chose to be his wife. Shame on him and I wish you the best!
Turi Chic yes, exactly. Thank you.
I think we need to teach our children how to survive and take care of themselves before they get hooked up with the mate and the baby. So, if they were ever in theur own becayse the relationship dud motvwork, they could fend for themselves and their child.
It is difficult for mothers always. I earned my degree but when my children were born my husband wanted me to stay home with them. I too did not want them raised by a stranger.
Then when he went through some midlife crisis he hooked up with a 19 year old and I had been out of work for far too long. My resume was crap. He had no interest in paying child suppport.
Mothers are always left holding the bag.
Many single moms are those who thought they were "doing the right thing" by marrying the baby's father. This is due to societal pressure to "keep the baby and get married." This is not always the best advice.
i hate people that cant just do a good thing without letting the world know they about it. hes fishing for likes, i wouldn't be surprised if he just made the story up, sounds made up, probably concocted it while on his 4th refill.
The balance wasn't the balance of her account it was the balance of her bill. If your total is $20 But you only have $19 You have a $1 balance due for your purchase... does that make more sense Veronica Hind? They never used the word "account" so idk why you would think "balance" and "account" are the same thing.
brenda that is still private, how the hell would he know what she was owing, its made up, and if it isn't he's a dick for doing something just to get likes and recognition
if you are one cent short it will decline .. if you are going to try and get the sun to shine out of ya ass , try being a little bit more intelligent with the back end
What are you talking about Jacob Reece Ricciardi??? You've never stood behind someone in a line at a cash register and saw how much money they spent? Or if they used a card or cash? What your total bill is at a cash register is NOT private information. Smh.
The guy didn't claim (or imply) to give explicit details like exactly what the words exchanged were. We don't know if she used a gift card or maybe she knew she only had $5 or whatever so they charged the card $5 and she still needed to go to the car and get change.
Micheal WilsonA gift card doesn't decline and you can charge specific amounts ie what you know the balance is. So there's no need for you to try and be a jerk just because you're narrow minded and refuse to see that there are ways that you can use a "card" (because we weren't given more details) to pay for something and still owe a balance. You guys are reading shit in the article and in my post that aren't there. But you wanna talk about my intelligence? that really is laughable!!.
That's how I interpreted the story. I do however, know how to subtract, thank you. 'Balance' can still refer to bank balance, not just 'amount owing' – which is how its phrased commonly here.
"the teen tells her her card has a balance of 37cents..." Sounds like she's referring to a bank card to me?
What if the card she was using was a gift card? The cashier would most certainly be able to tell her any remaining balance left on it.
but he wasn't behind her, he says he was on his third refill, the story is bullshit, simple as that.
Jacob Reece Ricciardi - could the drink machines be anywhere near the registers in a fast food restaurant?
Veronica Hind ... you left an important word out of that quote, along with some others. You can't quote something then leave words out just so it fits your agenda or interpretation
"The teen at the counter tells her her card LEFT a balance of 37 cents." In other words she owes 37 cents, which is why "She and the boy walk to her car where she digs and finds the change." Does that still sound like a bank card to You? It sure doesn't sound like a bank card to me because as other have pointed out a bank card would have been declined -that is unless she said to only charge $X or if she used a gift card which means the register would have taken what was left on the card and she would be responsible for the remaining balance of 37 cents. Nice try though Veronica Hind, nice try!!
Omg Amanda Huculak does that mean you've actually been INSIDE a McDonald's before??!!! Who would have thought that the soda machine could possiably be in ear shot of the register?? I guess just you and me
Jacob Reece Ricciardi - I'm NOT saying the story was true I NEVER did. My initial reply on your comment was directed towards Veronica Hind which should have been pretty clear.
But the guy also never specified what size his soda was, 4 refills on a small soda is feasible but still a bit ridiculous. Maybe you weren't aware but McDonalds has free WiFi so he could have been hanging out playing Pokemon Go for all we know. However I have seen people, mostly elderly hang out at McDonald's by themselves for long periods of time. How did I see this? Well when you take small children, especially more than one, to McDonalds and let them eat inside (idk why this is so important to them) it feels like it takes an eternity to get them to eat so you can leave. Children are very easily distracted by the happy meal toy, the box (if they're using them), or just the plain fact they are inside a McDonald's, you end up being there a lot longer than if they were adults or even teens. When someone (an adult) is already sitting down with their coffee (or their food) when you walk in the door and are still sitting there when you go to leave that means they're hanging out in McDonald's for whatever reason. Hence drinking 4 sodas that hopefully were 32oz sodas.
That DOES NOT make the story real, just feasible. Just for shots and giggles let me reiterate that I never suggested other wise, I merely was trying to explain to Verionica that the cashier was not announcing the balance in her bank account, he was referring to the balance due on her tab. Since this was a Facebook post by someone most likely just trying to get 5 minutes of fame, he worded it a little funny. But she, you, and Micheal Wilson have all been adding words or ideas/implications to the story or to my comments. Veronica has also been removing words to make the story fit her narrative. Not one single person has attempted to argue that this story was 100% true, I've only said it is possiable. I've had someone give me a gift card while eating with my then toddler in a McDonald's once so it's not completely unheard of for people to just be nice.
THANK YOU, Brenda Lee. And may I add that, yes, I have been inside of a McDonald's before. I believe that most of the people who make snide, "Oh, yukky McDonald's" posts have as well, yet it gives them some sort of falsly superiour feeling to put others down for resorting to eating to this kind of garbage. I mean, it's okay to eat junk sometimes. Some people will call it a treat or a cheat day. It's okay to admit that you feed your kids McDonald's on occasion as well. What's not okay is to judge others who do.
gees, how lonely must you be, who cares, get a life will ya
and he says he's sitting down drinking sprite, he's not refilling his cup so it doesn't matter where the soda machine is, what does the position of the soda machine have to do with anything?, learn how to read.
I've been to a McDonalds with seats almost right next to the checkout. Doesn't matter if he was refilling or sitting, the story is still plausible.
ok, sure the story is plausible , he's still a dick though.
A shitty parent/ex is never going to restore faith in anything. Teach your children about life including relationships. It isn't happy or funny most of the time but it could spare them this mess.