A man, Michael Lynn, has taken to the social media to share the story of a young man who treks about seven kilometres to work every day and has never missed a shift.
Lynn was driving one day, when he saw a man walking along the highway in scorching heat. He remembered seeing him a couple of times earlier. This time he decided to stop and ask him why.
It turned out the man was walking about 7 miles to and from work to earn money for his family. Lynn decided to give him a lift.
During the trip, he interrogated the young man by name Donte Franklin, during which time Lynn learnt that he was doing all the hustling to keep himself and his family going having lost his parents.
Every day, Donte Franklin sets off to work at a Buffalo Wild Wings to earn money for his family. It takes him two and a half hours to get to work. When he is done, he has to walk all the way back home.
“I really don’t care if it gets tiring. I just have to keep pushing,” he told the Fox News affiliate in Oklahoma. “I walk just to make my family proud.”
“I haven’t missed a shift at all,” he added.
Talking about the lift he received from Lynn, he said, “I wasn’t expecting it, but really it was a true blessing he gave me a ride,” Franklin told Fox.
In the car, the two got chatting. Franklin revealed that his mother died of Hepatitis-C when he was just 16 and things have been rough ever since.
“After she passed away it’s just been hard for me,” he said.
Lynn asked if Franklin had money for food. He did not, so Lynn gave him $20 and dropped him at work.
Touched by the experience, Lynn decided to post about it on Facebook.
“Friends I gotta share this with you!!! … I just want to wish him well!! May God bless him and I hope his days get better for him!”
Lynn followed up his post by making a GoFundMe campaign to help Franklin get back on his feet.
With a goal of $2,000 , the fundraiser has since reached over $52,000 (N23 million) and counting.
“I can really help my family with this,” Franklin told Fox. “It’s just a really good blessing.”
Lynn said he hopes his good deed influences others to help if they can.
“If it can make just one person go help someone else that’s all that matters,” said Lynn.
