CHICAGO (WBBM/CNN) – A single father riding the Chicago rapid transit system gave a homeless man a pair of socks and the shoes off his own feet to replace the man’s worn sneakers.
Witness Jessica Bell says she and the others close enough to see the exchange between good Samaritan Maurice Anderson and the homeless man were floored.
Anderson, a single father from Chicago, recently took a job as a service technician to make ends meet. He was returning to Chicago Friday evening after working in Kentucky for the week.
“He was bleeding through his socks. So, my gut said take them off and give them to him. I asked him what size shoe he wears. He said 12. I wear 12, as well,” Anderson said.
The father took off his boots and passed them to the other man. He then opened his suitcase and gave him a pair of socks as well, according to Bell.
Anderson says the man was overjoyed.
“It actually gave me more joy to give it to him than anything,” Anderson said.
After telling the man to clean his feet and put on the new socks as soon as possible, Anderson put on an extra pair of shoes he had in his luggage and left the train, Bell says.
“It was just so selfless, so quiet, so humble. [That] was really what touched me about what Maurice did,” Bell said.
Anderson’s gesture especially touched Bell’s heart, she says, because she’s the founder of Project Bleeding Love, an organization that raises money to supply homeless women with feminine hygiene products.
After posting about the experience on Facebook, Bell says she’s heard from people as far away as India. She hopes the message of kindness continues to spread and others are inspired by Anderson’s actions.
Copyright 2018 WBBM, Jessica Bell via CNN. All rights reserved.
