BY
It isn’t every day that a random act of kindness turns a mom’s rough evening into a viral story.
But that’s exactly what happened to Brittany Reed, an Ohio mother of three, after a long day and more than one meltdown in the car after football practice. Reed made a decision any parent can relate to: she took her family through the McDonald’s drive-thru for a quick dinner.
“My 4 year old was so tired he started crying,” she wrote in a social media post that has now gone viral. “My 7 year old daughter started crying because I told her we were having red potatoes as a side for dinner and clearly she wasn’t a fan.”
So, Reed threw her proverbial hands up in the air and said, “Forget it!”
McDonalds in Waynesville, Ohio. (Screenshot/Google Maps)
If Reed thought her rough evening was coming to a close, she was wrong. As she pulled up to the window to pay, she discovered to her utter dismay that she’d left her wallet at home.
“All three kids are now crying for one reason or the other,” Reed wrote. “Now I wanted to cry.”
With tears in her eyes, she looked at the cashier and said, “Hun, I am so sorry but I have to cancel that order.”
What the cashier did next left Reed absolutely stunned.
“Without hesitation he takes out his wallet and swipes his card,” the mom of three said.
Even when Reed tried to protest, saying she could just come back after running home to grab her purse, the cashier would hear none of it.
(Courtesy of Brittany Reed)
During the interaction, Reed snapped a quick picture, which she later posted to social media, hoping to show the young man’s mom what a kind heart he had.
Reed’s post reads, “He made this stressed out momma pause for a moment and realize this is exactly what we parents are trying to do, raise great humans. Well Wyatt sir, you are an amazing human!!!”
As it turns out, Wyatt Jones, the young man in question, has paid for a customer’s meal more than once.
His mother, Lisa Jones, told KOAT7 that he didn’t even mention the exchange, because he didn’t think it was a “big deal.”
“It makes me probably even more proud of him because he’s not seeking the limelight. He’s not like, ‘Hey, look at me, you know, I did this great big good deed.’ He’s still like, ‘It’s just something I would do anytime,’” his mom said.
Later, as Reed’s post started to go viral, she discovered Jones was working at McDonald’s to save money to buy a car.
Without hesitation, she started a crowdfunding page for Jones, hoping to return the kindness he’d shown her.
“I want to pay it forward and show him the same type of kindness he showed me,” she told WHIO7.
She set a fundraising goal of $5,000 but was blown away when she ended up with over $28,000 in donations.
Brittany Reed with her husband, Tyler, and their children. (Courtesy of Brittany Reed)
Jones and his parents were stunned by the outpouring of support that stemmed from a single act of kindness that wasn’t supposed to be a “big deal.”
“He didn’t expect anything,” Kevin Jones, Wyatt’s dad, said. “He just did something out of the kindness of heart for somebody in need.”
Beyond recognition for their son, the Joneses are grateful to discover how their son has been treating random strangers.
As Mr. Jones explained, “It makes you very proud to know when they’re out in the world they’re willing to help other people.”
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Such a great story.