“Tonight I met the most inspiring 16-year-old kid. His name is Chauncy Jones, from Memphis.
It was 9 PM, I was in Kroger grabbing groceries when he walked up to me in the produce aisle and quietly asked:
👉 “Can I carry your bags to your car in exchange for a pack of glazed donuts?”
He looked ashamed, hungry, and like he’d already been told “no” 100 times. My heart screamed YES. Out loud, I just smiled and said, “Yeah dude, let’s get you some donuts.”
But as we talked, I learned the truth: Chauncy and his mom had nothing at home. No food. No phone. Just a bus pass. He’d come hoping a stranger would feed him before the bus left.
So instead of donuts, we went on a shopping spree. 🍕🥛🍎 We laughed and filled the cart with cereal, milk, pasta, veggies, peanut butter, soap, even toothbrushes. All the while, Chauncy told me how he makes straight A’s, how he’s looking for a job to help his mom pay rent, and how one day he wants to own businesses so he can help others in his neighborhood.
When I drove him home, I saw just how much he meant it. No beds. No furniture. Just sleeping bags on the floor. Two lamps. An empty fridge. His sweet mother, struggling with health issues, welcomed me with gratitude in her eyes.
As we unpacked the food, I watched hope return to Chauncy’s face. For the first time in a long time, he looked like a kid again.
Before I left, I hugged him and told him God loves him and that he’s going to grow into an incredible man. That hug… I’ll never forget.
Tonight, Chauncy gave me something no possession ever could: a reminder that even in the hardest places, hope, resilience, and kindness are alive and waiting to be seen.”
[Christina Baldwin]