A Memphis, Tenneessee, teen asked a stranger for a box of donuts and ended up with $300K. And that number is still growing.
On June 9, Matt White was in a Kroger grocery store parking lot in Memphis, when Chauncy Black, 16, approached him and offered to help carry his groceries back to his car in exchange for a box of doughnuts. What happened next will restore your faith in humanity. According to White, the situation “broke his heart,” compelling him to help Black further than simply tossing him a box of baked goods, according to media reports.
So, the two ventured back into the grocery store, where White purchased the teen an entire cart full of fruit, vegetables, frozen pizza, chips and toiletries. Thirty minutes later, White drove Black home and helped him carry his bags into the apartment he shares with his grandmother, Barbara Black, 61, who legally adopted Chauncy as an infant from her daughter, along with six other children, now grown and on their own — to discover they had no food other than bread and condiments.
“I found out they’d been living like this for years, getting by on Barbara’s disability checks,” White told People magazine. “And I just knew I had to do something. Chauncy hadn’t had new clothes in three years. I’m not wealthy, but I live a comfortable life. I saw how he was living and it touched my heart.”
Following their encounter, White returned home, where he told the heart-wrenching story on his Facebook page. The post was soon accompanied by a GoFundMe page, with an original goal of raising $250 to buy Black a lawnmower, so he could make money mowing lawns before returning to high school as a 10th grader this fall.
Fast-forward less than two weeks, and the GoFundMe page has gone viral, bringing in $323K thus far, in addition to a long list of non-monetary donations, including furniture, clothing and bedding. “It’s so awesome — my life has been completely changed,” Black, told People. “I can’t go anywhere now without people recognizing me. They go, ‘Oh, my God, you’re Chauncy!’ And I’m like, ‘Yes, ma’am.’ I’m very happy and very grateful to everybody.”
“Words can’t express my gratitude — I’m pinching myself,” Barbara told People. “I thought nobody cared anymore. But I see now that they do.” After several years of ironing clothes to raise her seven adopted children, Black developed multiple health problems, including blood clots, high blood pressure and diabetes. “I did the best I could. The past few years, Chauncy has been taking care of me. He’s a good boy. I couldn’t ask for better.”
Meanwhile, it appears the Blacks have expanded their family, adopting Matt, “the nicest person” they’ve ever met into the family. “He’s family, that’s what he is,” added Barbara. “He’s in our lives forever now. He’s family.”
