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kindness of strangers

Joy

A homeless man asked a college student for some tea, and a deluge of kindness followed

The unlikely pair spent the day getting to know each other, and now thousands of strangers are invested in Unc's well-being.

Sanai Graden/GoFundMe

Neither Sanai Graden nor her "Unc" knew what their meeting in a parking lot would lead to.

Every once in a while, a story of two strangers turns into a shared connection that touches millions. This is one of them.

Sanai Graden is a 21-year-old college student living in Washington, D.C., who likes to vlog on TikTok while she does everyday things. As she was heading to the grocery store on a random day at the end of January 2024, she turned on her camera, and soon after, a man approached and asked her if she could help him get some hot tea.

Not money. Not even food. Just some simple, hot tea.

Graden told the man she was going to Trader Joe's and he could go along with her and they could stop at Starbucks. As they walked and chatted, Graden learned the man was homeless, had no family and was suffering from prostate cancer. He has just gotten insurance, but it wouldn't kick in for 45 days and he needed a prescription filled.

Over the next four to five hours, Graden got him some tea, helped him get his prescription filled so he could get some relief from his pain and put him up in a hotel room for the night. By the end of the day, she was calling him "Unc," and he was calling her his "angel."

She left him with some cash and her phone number and then posted this video:

@hustlanani

Please help me help him !

At the end, she said she wanted to start a GoFundMe for Unc (whose real name is Alonzo), and she did just that.

"I'm just a college student, there's only so much I can do," she shared in another TIkTok. "I did the best I could. But that man, he was literally suffering, and it broke my heart…He was so kind…I just wanted to help him."

Her initial video started going viral—it currently has over 20 million views—and people started donated to the GoFundMe. When it reached $12,000 in a matter of hours, she called her parents to tell them about it. They told her she was exactly the right person to be helping this man because she will make sure the money is used to get him what he needs.

@hustlanani

Replying to @The JasmynYvette Thank you so much eve

Little did she know that that $12,000 would soon rise to $20,000, and then to $50,000, then $100,000 and more. As of the writing of this article, two days after the GoFundMe went up, it has jumped the $300,000 mark.

At this point, so many people are invested in Unc's well-being. Upwards of 20,000 people have donated, and the number just keeps rising. As one commenter put it, "He's everyone's Unc now."

Graden went to tell him the good news the next morning when the GoFundMe was around $150,000, but when she arrived at the hotel, he had already checked out. She searched everywhere she thought he might be, even renting a car to cover more ground more quickly, but she wasn't able to find him.

Finally, she shared a brief voice message he left for her that started, "Hey, Niece! It's your uncle," and ended with "I love you!" but he neglected to tell her where he was. After she looked around some more, he called again and and told her he was at church. She told him to wait right there.

She found him in front of a church and invited him to go get something to eat. She said she wanted to talk to him in private, but he was waiting with his aunt and couldn't leave just yet. Finally, she was able to sit with him in her car and tell him about what thousands of people were doing to help him live comfortably and more easily manage his cancer.

She had to convince him the money was his, not theirs together. He also said he hadn't finished writing her a letter he'd started.

@hustlanani

I know you’ve all been waiting on his reaction. I just made it home. Please enjoy it. Thank you everyone for coming together. This would not have been possible without the endless support. This is just the beginning of something great. I’m enternally grateful. God did that !!!

The first thing Graden did was take Alonzo to Target to get him his own phone and some new clothes of his choosing. He even had a little laugh with Graden when she asked him if he wanted to get some floss, forgetting that he doesn't have any teeth.

This story is still developing and there are obviously a lot of complex details to work out as they get Alonzo settled with however much money the GoFundMe ultimately raises. No one wants Alonzo to lose his health benefits, and there are various financial as well as mental and emotional elements to consider as they move forward. But the power of the kindness of strangers to change someone's circumstances, starting with just one caring soul, is certainly worth celebrating.

Follow @hustlanani on TikTok for updates on Unc.


This article originally appeared on 2.13.24

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Joy

People share the nicest thing a stranger's ever done for them. It's a good reminder.

The world is full of kind, thoughtful people.

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

We live in a world where strangers help one another.

There are many things that can shake our faith in humanity, from the inane bickerings of people on social media to the fact that humans are still trying to war their way to peace.

But amidst the negative news and division-pushing algorithms, we find glimpses of hope, gems of human decency and kindness that don't make the headlines but are happening every day, all around us. There are so many people who are willing to go out of their way to help out others—not just their friends and neighbors but perfect strangers as well.

Someone on Reddit asked people to share the nicest thing a stranger has done for them, and it's a mood-boosting, faith-restoring collection of human goodness.

The question was posed with a story of a mom who was at the mall with her toddler, watching a train ride that you could ride for a $1. She was broke and didn't have any cash, but her kiddo was content to watch. A group of loud teens went by, and then one of them came back to put some money in the machine for her son, saying, "I always liked watching trains too." Her son lit up, and the teen went on his way.

"I never would have expected that action from a stranger, let alone a teen with his friends in a mall," she wrote.

Another parent added a similar story, but from an older couple instead of a teen.

"When my son was a toddler he loved the mini merry-go-round that operated for 50 cents or something like that.

We happened to be at the mall, and this elderly couple asked if it would be okay that they could pay for a few rounds for him to play on it cuz they just wanted to enjoy watching a child play.

That memory has stuck with me as clear as day even though my son is now a young adult. I have every intention on being that kind of elderly couple." – ThatCanadianRadTech

The teens are often more helpful than we'd expect, though, as another person shared:

"One time my wife was at the mall with our autistic then 4 year old. They went to get on the escalator. My wife thought she was there with her, but at the last moment she backed off, and didn't realize until she was well on her way up.

This is one of those escalators where the up is not right next to the down, it's on the other side of the hall.

My wife is freaking out over our kid stuck at the bottom, who's afraid to come up on her own, but my wife doesn't want to leave eyesight to go around to the down.

A rowdy group of teens walks by, sees what's going on, immediately stops being rowdy and helps our girl go up the escalator.

The teens are alright." – Helagoth

basketball booth at a carnival

Carnival basketball is a losing game, but not for man who shared his prizes.

Photo by Documerica on Unsplash

It's amazing how a simple kindness shown to a child can make a lasting impact.

"When I was maybe 6 or 7 I was trying to win a mini basketball at cedar point at one of the basketball carnival scam games. I obviously failed and then this guy next to me was like “great shot kid, you deserve this” and gave me a mini charlotte hornets ball he had just won. He had a bag of them he had won and was going around giving them to the kids that were playing and failing. I’m 39 now and never forgot this. And because of that one random day I have always made an effort to gift any random prize to a kid so maybe he’ll do the same for someone else. The only thing I’m any good at is claw machines so I’ll hand off my prize to anyone that’s trying and failing or anyone that stops to watch me try. But random carnival basketball savant changed my life for the better just a little bit." – TheMayb

And it's even better when you're single parent struggling to make ends meet.

"When I was a single mom going through my divorce, I saved up enough to bring my 4yo to an amusement park. At the light show my kiddo asked for a cotton candy I couldn't afford.

An older couple was sitting behind us, he tapped me on the shoulder and asked if they could get my daughter the cotton candy.

I turned to thank them again after the show and they were gone.

25 years I've never forgotten that." – A-typ-self

And it's even more heartwarming when it's kindness from one kid to another. Those kindnesses stick with us forever.

"When I was a kid, I remember going to this girl scout event that had a bunch of different stations with activities and crafts and all that jazz, and we each got a balloon to take home too. We didn't have a helium thing at home, so we never had balloons so getting a balloon to take home was the shit. (Remember when Applebee's used to give a balloon to every kid to take home? Them were the days.) Anyways, my mom came to pick me up, and as we were walking across the parking lot to the car the balloon string somehow slipped through my fingers, and my precious balloon was lost to the sky. I was devastated. I'm pretty sure I even cried. And then this little girl who was also leaving with her mom walked over and gave me her balloon. I'll never forget that.

Such a small act of kindness, and from another child. We have such power to brighten a stranger's day, and it truly takes very little effort from us to do that. We should all strive to be just a little bit kinder to each other. It could make such a difference." – k_shon

someone holding housekeys

Sometimes the key to kindness is an actual key.

Photo by Maria Ziegler on Unsplash

Kindness doesn't always look like doing something for someone, but simply opening your home to them.

"My coworker's mom let me stay at her house overnight on the weekends between my work shifts as I used to live an hour away from my workplace (my old job did me dirty on the schedule change). I used to go to her house at midnight and leave at 4 AM the next morning, and she never charged me. I had my own room and key to come in and out without disturbing her and her husband.

Before, I was bouncing around sleeping at Airbnbs, motels, and even my workplace for several months, whatever I could afford. I couldn't leave my job because I was under a two-year contract. My coworker's mom let me stay at her house for 8 months, but I only met/saw her once when she gave me the key to her house during that whole time before I finally broke my contract.

I will never forget her kindness to literally let a stranger into her home." – 8-bit-butterfly

Sometimes just having a stranger notice when we seem to be struggling is enough to touch our hearts.

"I was having a bad day and was trying not to cry in public but sometimes it's hard not to when I get amped to a certain point. I was just coming home from integration course and was having a hard time dealing with estrangement from my family and adjusting to life in Germany at the same time. Unfortunately the sniffles started coming out and another young woman stopped and asked if I was okay. I really appreciated her kindness even though it was embarrassing. I eventually got home and ugly cried." – karmamarmafarma

And it's just as touching even if we're not actually struggling emotionally.

"Was going towards the bus stop at like 6am on a freezing winter morning, it was dark, the wind was biting into my cheeks. I'm super sensitive, so immediately I started sniffling, trying to keep my nose from running, but my eyes went straight into water mode. Usual for me, just put headphones on and thanked the inventor of waterproof mascara.

A young woman walking the opposite direction saw me, and in a split second was next to me, hand on my arm, asking if I am alright.

I still think about her to this day and I hope she is doing well. The pure concern and care of a stranger really moved me, and I am thankful for pure beautiful people like her." – TaoKitt

And it's extra touching when kindness comes someone who's been there and knows exactly what you need in the moment.

"The day my wife died, I left the hospital to go home to meet our families. On the way I realised that after 20 days going in and out of of the Icu my presses were bare of food and such. I pulled into the local supermarket to pick up some essentials. I remember walking into the store and completely blanking Just standing in the aisle. It was as if the adrenaline or something just vanished.

Suddenly a elderly lady hooked my arm whispered in my ear, 'I know that look, let's just get you some essentials.' Picking up milk tea etc. Paying for it, walking me back to my car where she hugged me telling me that she was sorry for my loss. I never got to thank her and for months I went to the store on the same day at the same time hoping to see and thank her. Nine years later every so often I go to the store at the same time looking for her. I can never forget her kindness." – ben0368

As another commenter put it, we never seem to hear enough about the good people of the world. If that seems true and if you enjoy collections like these, Upworthy's book "GOOD PEOPLE: Stories From the Best of Humanity" is full of them. It's coming out in September and is available for pre-order now here.

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Joy

Three cheers for this Dollar Tree worker who saved a mom during toddler's meltdown

Every mom who’s been there feels this kindness in their bones.

@maremare711/Instagram (via Upworthy)

Fatimah's kindness made all the difference for a mom at her wit's end.

You're in the store, trying to gather the last of your items and head to the checkout counter before your toddler really starts losing it. You can see the meltdown coming—maybe you forgot snacks or it's too close to nap time or your wee one is just feeling particularly prickly for no apparent reason—but there's not much you can do other than hope you can get out of the store before the tornado hits.

But then it hits. Your child is wailing, you're already at the checkout, people are staring (while pretending not to stare) and you wish you could just curl up in a ball and disappear.

It's hard to describe the stress and anxiety of trying to manage a toddler in a tantrum while also trying to get through the checkout lane, but it's real. Most moms have been there and know the helpless feeling, which is what makes the simple act of a Dollar Tree employee all the more wonderful.

Mom and Instagram user @maremare711 shared the video showing Fatimah, a Dollar Tree clerk, holding her daughter and letting her help scan her items.

"This ANGEL at the Dollar Tree in West Orange, NJ scooped my daughter up in the midst of an UPPY meltdown," the mom wrote. "She saw my hands were full while we were checking out and my patience was THIN."

"There is nothing more anxiety inducing than a check out line and a screaming toddler," she continued. "She instantly changed our moods for the better. Mare got to feel special. And I got to experience this total act of kindness."

She also shared that that Dollar Tree location was closing and that Fatimah was hoping for a good transfer.

"I never post stuff like this but I just want this woman to have the world!" the mom concluded.

People in the comments were clear about what they thought of Fatimah's kindness.

"People like this make the world so much easier for us moms. Motherhood can feel so lonely and isolating— everyone needs to take note of this lovely worker!! Once I had a Panera worker comfort my screaming toddler and help me walk him to the car. Literally changed the whole trajectory of our day!" shared one mom.

"Gosh, people don’t realize how much moments like this mean the absolute world to us moms out here with littles" wrote another. "When so many feel annoyed by a child’s mere existence, it’s so refreshing to see beautiful acts of kindness, understanding, and patience like this towards our babies. ❤️❤️❤️"

"Hoping this goes viral and this woman get offered a great job where her kindness is valued," shared another commenter.

"If Dollar Tree doesn't promote her immediately we riot," one person quipped, to which dozens of people responded with variations of "Tell us where and when and we'll show up."

Dollar Tree did see the original video on Instagram and commented, "Thank you for sharing this sweet experience! Go Fatimah! Way to go above and beyond. 💚 We'll be sure to share this with field leadership so they're aware of the Fatimah's hard work and amazing spirit."

People like Fatimah truly make a difference in the world, seeing someone's struggle and immediately taking action to try to alleviate it. Many people might want to help in a situation like this but feel awkward about it, like they might be overstepping or something, but this is a good example that when the intention is sincere and there's something we know we can do, it's best to at least try.

Thanks for the heartwarming boost of faith in humanity, Fatimah.

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Identity

New Yorkers rallied around nervous autistic man left alone in the subway until he got home safely

He was waiting for a cousin who never showed up.

via Susan Sermoneta/Flickr

A subway station at 59th street in New York City.

New Yorkers may seem like a brash, uncaring bunch to the uninitiated. But when you get to know the people and the city, you’ll probably realize that they are “kind, but not nice,” as opposed to how many describe people on the West Coast as “nice, but not kind.”

A great example of New Yorkers looking out for one another happened on Reddit’s AskNYC subforum earlier this month. AskNYC is where New Yorkers consult one another on various topics, such as where to get cheap rent, subway shortcuts, and places to volunteer.

It all started when a Redditor named Andy, 21, who is autistic, reached out for help in a post titled, “Please help, where do I wait.” On the forum he goes by the name GalacticBambi. Andy is a native New Yorker who moved away at a young age. His father passed away two years ago, so he came back to the Big Apple to see his cousin and learn more about his father.

“My cousin told me to wait for him,” Andy wrote. “I’m autistic, and I feel weird standing in place on the street, I went to the subway. Is it ok to wait in the subway station? My cousin hasn’t responded back for 20 minutes, so I’m not sure what to do right now.”


"I went to the Library and restaurants and when it got dark, my cousin told me to wait for him on a street, but I wasn’t sure where to wait, and I got nervous," he later told Upworthy. "I was afraid to ask people walking around so I asked the Reddit AskNYC."

The request brought together a group of New Yorkers to help Andy feel safe and comfortable while waiting for his cousin. Reddit user Comprehensive_Ad4689, who also has autism, suggested he wait at the subway station.

“I’m autistic, and I feel the same way! It’s totally okay to wait in the train station. I do it all the time for my friend. I sit with my favorite music and do a sudoku puzzle or two or read a book,” Comprehensive_Ad4689 wrote. “When it’s nicer, I like to sit in the plazas to wait. There are two right near First Ave.”

Andy did have one slight problem—his phone was losing battery and he was afraid he’d miss a call from his cousin to meet up. The Redditors suggested he go to a nearby restaurant to charge his phone, and Andy thought it was a great idea.

“I went into a Chinese restaurant and bought tea. It’s OK 'cause I was thirsty anyways,” he wrote. “I had water in my backpack, but tea is my favorite, and I’m glad I can charge up my things now.”

The other New Yorkers checked in to ensure he was doing OK in the restaurant.

“I’m almost done charging at this restaurant, and the music is really boppy,” Andy wrote. “Plus, the owner is really nice, so I’m doing well! I’m gonna head back to the bench in the subway in a bit :)”

As Andy headed back down to the subway station, the Redditors shared some ideas that would help him feel safe, such as waiting by a token booth so he’s close to an MTA official or hanging out near a police officer.

Andy pulled out a “Sandman” comic book and read to stay calm in the subway station while waiting for his cousin. The New Yorkers asked him about the comic to keep him company. “Is it a good comic?” BankshotMcG asked.

“It’s my favorite comic book!!! It’s called ‘Sandman.’ My second favorite comic is Saga," Andy replied. “They are both really good! Sandman has an audiobook that’s really good and a Netflix show too!”

The group also gave him some encouragement, New York style. “You are kicking ass right now on so many levels. You’ve got this!” aitchmalone wrote. “Thanks, aitchmalone!” Andy replied. “New York is definitely a whole new beast for me, but the people are so endearing and kindhearted!”

Eventually, he shared that his cousin wouldn’t return in time, so the commenters suggested that Andy to go home on the subway. "When I got on a train I got lost and I got the courage to ask a couple and they were super nice in telling me I was going the wrong direction and told me which train I should take," he told Upworthy. "And when I got lost again and went off of a train and to a booth the person told me which train I should take and let me go through the gate to wait for the right train."

People from the group reached out to make sure that Andy made it home ok.

“I just got home! I’m super sleepy,” he told the group. “Thanks, everyone for making me less stressed. I’m not used to New York still, but everyone’s really kind and gives really nice advice!! Thanks again!"

Andy loved his time in New York, but now he's home and studying game design in college.

"It was super scary when I was by myself in the city but a lot of people helped me when I was lost so it was super nice," he told Upworthy. "I got to learn about my family and see a lot of cool things like a museum and the Brooklyn Bridge. Even though I was lost a lot, people gave me great advice!"

The game designer looks forward to going back to New York soon.

"I’m taking driving classes so I can take road trips back to New York," he added. "I think it’s my favorite state and I’m glad I got to meet kind people."

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