Man Overwhelmed When Group of Homeless People Say 'Thank You' by Buying Him Lunch

By Kayla Kunkel March 30, 2019 at 7:57am

A man in Chichester, England, was completely taken aback when a group of people that he has spent so much of his time helping, decided to thank him in a heartwarming way: buying him lunch at Subway.

Steven Payne actively seeks ways to help homeless people in his local community.

In fact, in 2018 he was inspired by a conversation with one of his homeless friends, Paul, who was describing how difficult it was to find a job without a physical address.

“It’s virtually impossible,” Paul told Payne. “It’s like trying to cross the Alps on a space hopper.”

As soon as Payne heard the outlandish expression from his friend, he decided that he was going to do just that, so he bought an original space hopper from the 1970s and began planning his trip across the Swiss mountain range.

He documented his journey on Facebook, showcasing his brilliant tweed suit and “Hanniball” the space hopper.

After he finished his 17-day-long journey, despite experiencing heatstroke, a punctured hopper and a twisted knee, Payne posted a video explaining why he went through such lengths.

Would you like to trek across the Swiss Alps on a space hopper?

“I just try to encourage people to approach homeless people and see if they can help at all,” he said.

“And I know they’re slightly intimidating. They can be quite grumpy, but who wouldn’t be grumpy if you live in a shop doorway.”

Payne went home, recovered and was excited to see his friend Paul again.

“When I next saw Paul, his life had picked up a little; he now had a toe-hold in a shelter,” Payne told The Guardian.

“But we both knew his struggle was grueling compared with my self-imposed one.”

Just over six months later Payne shared on his Facebook page that he has continued to set intentional time aside to help his homeless friends, specifically on Mondays.

“Most of the local homeless people know that on a Monday I will be in town if they need anything out of the ordinary and have a good reason, and I make sure I am fairly easy to spot….not difficult if you travel on a penny farthing,” he wrote.

He said that normally his Mondays look like buying a burger from a local street vendor or a bus ticket to visit family, but on March 25, 2019, a group of his friends had something a little different planned.

They waited for him to get into the city and surprised him by paying for his lunch at Subway!

“They had all been saving up, and I was a bit overwhelmed to get the offer,” he wrote. “They all made a point of wearing the clothes, boots, hats and shoes I (and you) have been able to buy them over the winter to keep warm and dry.”

The sweet gesture proved to Payne just how much of an impact he has been able to have with such small gestures as buying someone a burger or distributing donated clothes. It’s something he is sure to continue doing as well as encouraging others to do the same.

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