A Texas community came through for a homeless man in need after a social media post shared his story.
Kenneth Smith went from sitting outside an Outback Steakhouse to busing tables for the same restaurant—but most importantly, he found hope.
It all started with a gift card.
A concerned customer saw Smith dozing in a chair outside the eatery, approached him, and asked if he was OK. Smith admitted he wasn’t.
The sympathetic customer handed him a $100 gift card for the restaurant.
Thus, swapping his chair outside for a booth inside, Smith got to chatting with the venue’s partner, Laura Hodges, a mother of three, who was moved by his story. She said she didn’t want him to go hungry.
Hodges gave him continued sustenance for close to five months—until he got an idea and asked Hodges for a job. When one became available, she didn’t hesitate.
Since early March, Smith has been busing tables six days a week.
“I’ve recently employed a homeless gentleman,” she posted. “He is wonderful and works very hard ... He is just trying to get a fresh start.”
Netizens responded and surpassed her expectations, donating cash, a bicycle, and clothes for Smith. They even paid for six weeks at an extended-stay hotel close to the steakhouse, along with groceries and kitchen supplies.
Smith’s new job has since sparked a dream: He hopes to run his own food service one day. For now, though, he is saving for a car and, eventually, a home.
“I sometimes walk out them doors and glance at the chairs,” said Smith. “I be like, ‘Man, I used to sit in those chairs.’
“God is good. If He can do it for me, He can do it for anybody else.”
