Fast food workers aren’t usually thought of as the types to go above and beyond their immediate job duties, but a photo of one Chicago-area McDonald’s employee’s kind act while on the job has netizens praising his extraordinary compassion.
On September 16, a woman named Destiny Carreno posted a photo to her Facebook page of a McDonald’s employee cutting up the meal of an elderly, disabled man at one of his restaurant’s tables. The photo has since gone viral with nearly 310,000 shares.
Carreno wrote on her post that the disabled man had “wheeled himself over to the cashier” in front of her and, after a few polite tries, said, “Help me please.”
She said that neither she nor the cashier initially understood what the man needed help with but that the cashier eventually figured out the man needed help cutting and eating his food.
After that, according to Carreno:
“To be honest, I thought the cashier wasn’t going to help, especially during rush hour in downtown Chicago, but to my shock, he shut down his register and disappeared from view….
“Not to get away from helping him, but to wash his hands and put gloves on! I had to stick around and see how this would play out, especially since it hit me so close to home with my own uncle.
“The cashier came out from the kitchen, sat down, and began cutting the man’s meal and helped him eat.
“At that point, the tears started to gather in my eyes. My heart was so appreciative for what he did. I couldn’t contain my emotions in the crowded restaurant.
“This employee, who put everything on hold for this man, went above and beyond his responsibilties to help this handicapped customer out. That was the kindest and most humble thing I had ever seen.”
//
Seeing this today brought tears to my eyes! Compassion has NOT gone out of style.Today I made a quick stop at McDonald…
Posted by Destiny Carreno on Wednesday, September 16, 2015
The owner of the McDonald’s, Rod Lubeznik, identified the cashier as Kenny and said the chain was “overwhelmed by the positive response [Kenny] has received for his compassion and kindness,” according to NBC Chicago.
He added, “It’s a true testament to who Kenny is, and a reminder to us all that one seemingly small act of kindness can touch the hearts of so many.”
