She felt so disgusted by the homeless man next to her. Why wouldn't the staff kick him out? She approached the manager and informed them about the sleeping man. But everyone just laughed in her face.
"Karen" had just made the biggest mistake of her life.
Luann Cofield
Luann Cofield was born and raised in Fayetteville, Georgia. She was a regular customer at her local McDonald's, and everyone there knew her by her name.
One day, she decided to grab lunch there before going to work. As soon as she entered the establishment, she saw a young man lying on the booth bench.
Calling The Manager
Luann thought he was homeless, or worse, a junkie. She didn't want to eat near him, but no other seats were available. So, she approached the cashier and said: “I want to talk to the manager!”
Once the manager arrived, Luann complained about the man sleeping in the booth. But the manager's reaction wasn't what she expected.
Not Surprised
“Oh yeah, we know," the manager said before walking away. Luann couldn't believe it. The manager wasn't taking her complaints seriously, and he basically embarrassed her in front of everyone.
Upset, she pulled out her phone and decided to take a photo of the sleeping man. Little did she know what awaited her.
Taking It To Facebook
Luann took a photo and uploaded it to Facebook. She wanted the world to know what she had just discovered at her local McDonald's.
She thought her Facebook friends would support her. But she couldn't have been more wrong.
The Post
“Just another reason for me to leave Fayetteville!” she wrote. “I was in the McDonald’s in the middle of town, and I saw this guy sleeping in the booth!”
“Their response was ‘Oh yeah, we know, hee hee. It’s OK.’ And I said, ‘Not really, but whatever.’” It didn't take long for her post to go viral.
Confusion
Luann's post caught the attention of people from all over the world. The majority of people disagreed with her, however.
Facebook users couldn't understand why she had taken a photo of the sleeping man and shamed him online. But who was he anyway?
Simon Childs
Facebook users recognized the sleeping stranger as Simon Childs. He was a 21-year-old man who was going through a tough time over the past few months.
He worked as a fry cook at the very same McDonald's, and that's why the staff allowed him to sleep there. But why didn't he take a nap at home instead?
Homeless
It turns out that Simon was taking a short nap before his next shift started. He had a four-month-old son and was working extra hours to provide for him.
He was also homeless. His paycheck wasn't enough to put a roof over his head. So, how did he react when he found out that he was viral on Facebook?
Devastated
Simon was devastated when he discovered that his photos were all over the internet.“It hurt me to see my picture up there,” he said in an interview. He already had a lot on his plate– the last thing he needed was a stranger shaming him online.
Sadly, for Simon, this was just the beginning.
Too Much Attention
By that point, Luann had gained so much attention online that she couldn't take it anymore. So, she deactivated her Facebook account and tried to move on with her life.
The morning after her post went viral, Simon came into work to find an unexpected sight. What had happened?
In Shock
“I didn’t think the community would even care enough about me to do that, but they care,” Simon said.
He found tons of baby supplies on the restaurant floor that the local community had collected for him. Then, a couple of local chefs heard about Simon's story and decided to help him, too.
Local Chefs
Theo and Xavier Thomas are the owners of Fayetteville restaurant Fusion Chefs Eatery. They contacted Simon and told him he could use their car whenever he needed to get to job interviews.
And they weren't the only ones who made Simon's life easier.
Grateful
A local barber got in touch with Simon and gave him a new haircut to improve his chances of landing a new job. “Simon’s story just touched our hearts,” Xavier said.
Simon was grateful for everyone who offered to help him. But there was just one more problem — the young father still didn't have a place to sleep.
Donations
Local people soon began donating money toward hotel stays so that Simon and his child could sleep there. Someone even set up a GoFundMe account for them.
Simon was truly grateful for every person who had helped him and vowed to pay it forward.
Paying It Forward
“Everything I get, I want to work for it,” Simon explained. “I actually want to use everything I’m getting from this and help other homeless people.”
But what about Luann? Did she feel bad for shaming the struggling father online?
Ashamed
Luann received a lot of negative feedback from Facebook users all over the world. Fortunately, her actions resulted in positive changes in Simon's life.
Luan felt sorry for Simon and agreed to meet him in person. But would he forgive her?
Meeting Up
“I didn’t want to hurt him,” Luann explained in an interview. When she found out about Simon's situation, she felt horrible.
When they finally met in person, she hugged him and apologized for exposing him online.
Appologies
“I’m sorry. Because, you know, that horrified me. That breaks my heart for you,” she told him.
But can he forgive her?
Forgiven
“I’m not homeless, not now, thanks to Luann,” Simon said. “I’m no longer sleeping in a McDonald’s, so that’s good. I feel great.”
There was just one more thing he wanted Luann to know. His words would shock her to the core.
"Thank You"
“I do want to thank you. Not for the post per se, but for helping me pick my life up off the ground," he told her.
So had Luann learned her lesson?
Lesson Learned
When Luann was asked if she would behave the same way again, she replied. “Absolutely not. And I would handle it differently. Maybe talk to somebody and see what the situation is.”
As for the GoFundMe campaign, it has raised over $10,000!
Happy Ending
The campaign is still going strong, thanks to all the kind people who had helped Simon and his son.
However, Simon has no intention of taking advantage of people's generosity.
Giving It Back
“I actually want to use everything I’m getting from this and help other homeless people,” he shared with WSB-TV News.
And a few weeks after his story went viral, Simon began to receive job offers!
New Job
Simon has accepted a new job in construction, which pays much more than McDonald's.
The last update on his GoFundMe page said: “Simon meets his new work team! Dressed for comfortable travel as they head out of town to the job site! Safe travels, and good luck on your new adventure!” But many people were still angry with Luann.
Outraged
“Luann Cofield was disgusted enough to expose Simon Childs on Facebook without his knowledge,” one Facebook user wrote.
“…without even bothering to ask the McDonald’s staff why they were allowing him to sleep there.”
The Sad Truth
Another person wrote, “Sad that African American males can’t even rest between shifts at their place of employment at #McDonalds. If it was reversed, people would be outraged.”
Do you agree?