Some people dedicate their lives to helping others, and this is commendable.

Unfortunately, others stand at the opposite end of the spectrum and actively try to get in the way.

In this case, the local manager of a McDonald’s didn’t want homeless people eating there, even though they were paying.

But she would soon learn a valuable lesson.

Let’s read the story.

Don’t like homeless people in your fast food restaurant? Let’s send a few hundred.

So a bit after college I took a part time volunteer position at a community shelter helping the areas homeless.

I was a case worker, basically we met with everyone once a week and make sure they are doing what they need to. Job, interviews, saving money because the ultimate goal is to get them into their own place.

This is awesome, but it gets even better.

My job was to make sure they had everything they needed, bus passes, help with resumes, teach them about bank accounts, help them open one once they found a job etc, work with local salons to get them free haircuts for work etc.

Really cool local community shelter that wasn’t just a place to sleep each night if they got in, we helped with everything and had a computer lab and classes etc for resumes and interviews.

Unfortunately, they would soon have to deal with people who don’t appreciate what they do for others.

So I am the point of contact for kind of all their issues, I’m not a therapist but they opened up to me a lot and asked for help or what I could do to help them and that was my job.

Connecting them with people or resources they needed.

Over the course of about a month I keep hearing the local McDonald’s down the road like half a block away is routinely asking people in my caseload to leave, not come back, they don’t need “homeless people begging” here.

I was pretty shocked and we provide everything, it might not be the best food but we make sure they eat 3 solid meals a day.

They were being discriminated against and this couldn’t continue happening.

It really messes with them for a place to discriminate against them and I definitely wasn’t happy.

I go down to talk to the local manager and sure enough she doesn’t want them in there, not because they don’t buy stuff (they definitely do) but she just seems to not like homeless people.

Well my position has me reach out to corporations, local businesses and such to seek donations of services or goods to help these people.

They were bringing in the big guns.

So I went ahead and reached out to McDonald’s corporate.

I outlined what we do, gave them numbers and we actually really do manage to help the majority of people that stay in our shelter obtain employment and an apartment.

I told them a lot of people that go out for interviews don’t manage to make it back for meal times.

I asked them if they would be ever so willing to help us by providing vouchers or something to get these people a meal while they are out, and told them it would help a lot.

Things were about to change.

McDonald’s corporate and the PR person I began working with really liked this idea and wanted to help us so they sent us a ton of never expiring coupons.

They wanted me to provide other shelters information so they could reach out and help there also.

When I say they sent a lot, I mean a few thousand coupons. More than we could reasonably use in 2-3 years and I was told when we need more just shoot them an email or a phone call.

So what did I do?

Began giving coupons out with bus passes to people going for haircuts, interviews, work, everything.

I sent more people to that McDonald’s than ever went there before.

And that lady couldn’t stop them.

She continued to be fairly rude to everyone and scrutinized the coupons to the point she turned a few away.

Big mistake lady, I called my corporate PR contact and told them the program is working great but the local manager is discriminating against the homeless who have a valid coupon.

He told them the simple truth and there were serious consequences.

One thing large corporations hate is when local managers go on power trips and get in the way of their efforts to help people.

Especially when it’s great PR and almost costs them nothing.

I was called back the next day to be told that no one will be bothered by her again and her views did not align with those of corporate and they apologized even more, and guess what?

Sent us out even better coupons for better meals.

Never did hear from anyone I was working with again about her, no idea where she went or what the local franchise did with her.

These are the kind of people to look up to.

Let’s see what Reddit has to say about this.

A reader shares their thoughts.

This commenter compliments the initiative.

Yup.

I agree!

Another reader chimes in.

A touching comment.

People like this change lives.

If you liked this post, check out this story about an employee who got revenge on a co-worker who kept grading their work suspiciously low.