A woman buys fast food for a group of homeless people then they are all asked to leave
Sometimes, if you have the possibility, you try to do good to others with the means you have at your disposition.
Often, just a simple gesture or a small effort that may seem obvious can improve the day for many people.
This was clearly understood by Shannon Gridley, the 44-year-old American woman from Louisville, Kentucky, who one day decided to perform an act of charity for those in need.
Specifically, she invited a group of 20 homeless people of different ages to eat at her own expense at a fast-food restaurant.
A nice gesture or that was what Shannon thought, but she had not considered the possible consequences of her offer, the reaction of the staff, and the negative effect all of this could have on her charitable act.
Of course, Shannon was surprised by their reaction, which left Shannon first without words and then decidedly indignant.
via Huffpost
Upon entering, the woman immediately noticed the concerned looks of the restaurant staff. She immediately tried to reassure them that she would pay for all the orders made by the homeless people, and to prove it she showed them her credit card.
However, that was not entirely sufficient given that, although the staff had begun to take the homeless people's orders, the staff forbade Shannon and the members of the homeless group to not only to sit at the tables but also to use the toilets due to previous episodes of homeless people committing vandalism and leaving the bathrooms dirty.
In any case, one of the cashiers told Shannon, "Now, you have your food, so you have to leave." Meanwhile, fast-food employees had already locked the bathrooms, with the reason being that the toilets had already been cleaned for the night when apparently the place wouldn't close for another hour and a half.
This policy did not seem fair to Shannon but she continued ordering food until a regular customer was not able to be served and Shannon insisted that the homeless people be served first and that was when the restaurant manager decided that the food ordered was enough, and forbade the group to ask for more.
To do so, the staff announced to Shannon and the other customers that the restaurant would close an hour before the standard time.
And although Shannon tried to insist and make the staff keep the restaurant open, it was of no use. The staff did not want to go against the manager's instructions and so they closed the fast-food restaurant.
Consequently, the unfortunate episode experienced by Shannon was posted on the Internet and evidently news of the incident reached the upper management of the chain of franchised restaurants.
In fact, the company decided to investigate what had happened, declaring that the fast-food chain is opposed to any form of discrimination.
The facts, however, would seem to indicate that the situation was very tense on both sides as was confirmed by an employee at the restaurant, who chose to remain anonymous.
Shannon, in the light of what happened, said that in her opinion, it would simply take a little more kindness, shown to people who do not ask for any special, but simply fair treatment, like the one reserved for all the other customers.
All that remains is to hope that episodes like this, sadly happening also in many other parts of the world due to an increasing number of homeless people, can somehow be reduced.
After all, showing solidarity with those in need when and where it is possible is worth much more than prejudice or strict company policy.
