A random act of kindness took fourth-year hospitality management student Charlotte Gray Cannon by surprise, so much so that she took to Facebook to share her experience. Her post, recounting the story of a fellow student who gave his lunch to a homeless man, has since been shared almost 1,000 times.
Cannon doesn’t know the man, but she has a high opinion of him based on what she saw. Indeed, she hopes he isn’t upset by all the attention, wherever he is.
"I would probably tell him I am sorry for taking a creepy stalker picture of him and also apologize for all the attention it got because I had absolutely no idea that would happen,” she said. “I don’t know him personally but I would take a strong bet that he is a pretty humble guy.”
Cannon didn’t anticipate the reaction on social media.
“I was so stunned when I saw my Facebook post getting so popular. I have never had that many likes or gotten that much attention on anything I have ever put up on social media,” she said. “It really showed me how strong the power of social media is."
On a personal level, the experience has helped Cannon to put things like having food in perspective.
“It is something I definitely never really thought of until now,” she said.
In a broader sense, she hopes the story will both inspire more kindness and help the reputation of the Palmetto State.
“I know most of society feels annoyed and nagged when a homeless person approaches them for money or asking them for something,” she said. “I hope by seeing this that they will stop and be friendly and offer to buy them some food and water if possible. Learn to give in other ways than just money … We are a great university with so much to offer and I really hope people all over the country are seeing that about South Carolina.”