What would you do if you won a fortune out-of-the-blue one day? Often, people struggling financially are delighted to win the lottery and wouldn’t think twice before spending it. However, a chosen few like to travel off the beaten path.
When a young mother got lucky with money one night, she knew it could help her. But what she saw next profoundly touched her, making her reconsider her initial decision. Today, we’ll celebrate another soul-stirring story of kindness, friendship, and love.
A single mom in Massachusetts was having an extraordinarily lucky day when she won $200 on a scratch-off lottery ticket. Later that evening she decided to pass on her luck to a man she saw sitting on the side of the road in freezing temperatures.
The man was standing on the side of the road with a sign asking for help. Sofia Andrade pulled over and offered to take him for coffee and a bite to eat. They introduced themselves. He said his name was Glenn Williams and that he had no place to stay. At that moment she remembered her lottery winnings in her pocket.
“She didn’t know me from a hole in the wall, and she bought me coffee,” Williams said.
They went to Dunkin’ Donuts. Andrade said she called around to local homeless shelters, but they were all full, and Williams insisted he’d be fine back out on the street.
“I was like, ‘I can’t let you go home. I can’t let you go back to the street. My soul won’t let me do that. Please let me do something for you,'” Andrade said.
Andrade drove Williams to the Rosewood Motel in Wareham, where she used her $200 lottery winnings to put him up for three nights. According to Andrade, It was money she didn’t really have to spare.
“I help as many people as I can, but as far as financially, my situation is very tight right now. I don’t have very much,” Andrade said.
The hotel manager was unsure as Williams didn’t have any ID on him so Andrade told him she was her uncle and he could use her documents to authorize his stay. The manager eventually agreed and reduced the nightly rate.
“I did. I did,” Andrade admitted to ABC News. “I could not leave him outside.”
Andrade shared her story on social media and the response was so overwhelming she set up a GoFundMe for him to see if she could help Williams long-term. Offers of help for Williams included clothing, food, and even a haircut.
More than $13,000, nearly three times the original goal of $5,000, was raised with the hope of helping Williams off the streets.
Sources: OpposingViews, WCVB, WFXT