From the archives: This story was last updated in February 2019.
Homeless people usually beg for money to buy food. But one man in Florida found out that one homeless woman didn’t use the money she received to buy food. Instead, she went to the library. When he learned why, he was determined to raise funds for her.In 2016, Greg Smith, who was working in downtown Orlando, would often pass by Amy Joe, a homeless woman, every day when he went to work. He noticed that Joe was different from other homeless people.
Smith decided to have lunch with her every Tuesday, and “for 30 min to an hour I get to hear how positive she is even though she really has nothing,” he wrote.
One day when Smith met Joe again, she told him the secret of where she spends her funds.
“Amy Joe does not smoke, drink, have a drug addiction, or anything to that nature,” Smith wrote. “She simply just has never had anyone teach her to read well.”
Joe also told him where she spent the money that she collects.
“She began to tell me any money that she can collect she uses to rent books that help with learning to read instead of buying FOOD,” Smith recounted.
Smith was “crushed” to hear this and decided to help Joe.
“So now not only do Amy Joe and I sit and have lunch, I’m teaching her to read. I rent one library book a week and we read it together Tuesday and she practices on her own throughout the rest of the week,” Smith wrote.
“She lit up! I could see in her face that she felt amazing,” Smith said.
Smith also helped Joe work on getting her legal ID so that she could be placed in a permanent residence, according to an update posted on the GoFundMe page.
Some people may be a bit prejudiced towards homeless people, but before learning their story, one shouldn’t judge them based on their appearance and current situation on the streets. Take Amy Jo for example; she’s so positive despite her circumstances, and she’s trying to educate herself.
Hats off to Smith for bringing her story to light, and for his heart of kindness. To date, he’s raised US$10,085 for Joe. They have now stopped accepting any more donations.