Matt White was like any other man. He did his grocery shopping just like everyone else. However, one night when he was getting his weekly essentials, he was met by a boy that would change his life forever.
This may seem hard to believe that an average night of purchasing your groceries could do that for you. However, what happened to both parties involved caused their lives to change forever!!!
A simple offer that a boy made to Matt as he was walking out of his local grocery store would change everything, but how? This is Matt’s incredible story.
Meet Matt. Matt was 30 years old when he encountered the young man outside of his local grocery store in Memphis, Tennessee. He was a college graduate and earned a degree in the music business. His go-to grocery store was a chain grocery store Kroger.
The Encounter. As Matt finished paying for his grocery and exited the Kroger, he noticed a teenage boy walking towards him. The boy was on his own and looked noticeably sad and ashamed. Matt thought that the boy might be looking for directions.
However, all of Matt’s theories of what this boy might have wanted were thrown out the window when the boy eventually opened his mouth to speak. That’s when the magic really started, and it put everything in action for both men’s lives to change.
The boy that had approached Matt was named Chauncy Jones Black. At the time of this encounter, he was 16 years old and had traveled by bus to reach Matt’s local Kroger, which was known as the ‘rich man’s Kroger.
’Chauncy got to Kroger and was hoping to find someone who would let them work for food. He wasn’t just planning to ask for spare change. He asked for Matt’s sympathy as he also needed to catch the last bus home in an hour.
It was evident that Chauncy looked incredibly underweight. He also looked hungry, ashamed, and broken. Chauncy had also disclosed to Matt that he would do absolutely anything for something to eat. He offered to carry Matt’s groceries for a box of doughnuts.
Matt later said that his heart was screaming to help Chauncy, by he remained cool and simply said that he could get him some doughnuts. The boy was noticeably thing, and not in a good way, and Matt felt terribly sorry for him.
Matt felt very sorry for Chauncy and wondered about what he had been through and how he got to this point. It turns out that Chauncy lived with his mom, and they didn’t have much money. All Chauncy really had was a bus pass and the clothes he was wearing.
As the man wanted into the grocery store and started moving past the aisles, Matt began asking Chauncy questions and finding out a little about him. After getting some doughnuts, Chauncy had no idea the big surprise that was coming.
Above and Beyon. Matt got Chauncy a pack of doughnuts, but he didn’t feel that was enough. Chauncy asked Matt for help, and he didn’t feel right just giving him a box of sugary treats. Matt liked that the boy was offering to work for food instead of just begging.
The two strangers continued to walk down the grocery store after getting the doughnuts. Matt led Chauncy down various aisles, filling their shopping cart with a variety of household essentials. Snacks, cereal, toothbrushes, toothpaste, milk, pasta, and other necessities were all in the shopping cart.
Chauncy was in complete shock when he saw what Matt was doing. He couldn’t express how grateful he was. Matt was helping the boy out in his time of need, and he was doing it as though it was no big deal.
As the two strangers continued their shopping spree, Matt inquired more into Chauncy’s personal life. He asked how his mother was and what he was doing in school. After spending some time with Chauncy, Matt saw that the boy was very special.
Chauncy had disclosed to Matt that he gets straight A’s and works very hard in school because his mother has always told him that it’s very important. He went on to say that he was also trying to get a job to help pay the rent.
Throughout their encounter, Chauncy kept referring to himself as ‘poor.’ Matt soon realized that, even though Chauncy didn’t have a lot of money, he saw that ‘being poor’ formed part of Chauncy’s identity. Despite this, Chauncy was determined to change his circumstances.
Chauncy disclosed to Matt that he wanted to become a rich entrepreneur. After he makes a fortune, he wanted to give back to other members of the neighborhood. He wanted to do exactly what Matt was doing now and buy groceries for those in need.
Chauncy thanked Matt after they collected the groceries and made their way to the exit of the Kroger. However, Chauncy’s thanks weren’t a true reflection of how grateful he was. Chauncy made his way to the bus and believed this to be the end of their interaction.
Chauncy knew that he needed to get back to his mother soon, or else she was going to get worried. Matt decided that he couldn’t let Chauncy ride the bus back with all of the groceries. That’s when he offered to drive him home.
Matt’s decision to give Chauncy a ride home left him completely humbled. After arriving at Chauncy’s house, he quickly realized that Chauncy wasn’t exaggerating when he told Matt that he didn’t have any food at home. What did Matt see?
When they arrived at Chauncy’s house, Matt noticed that the boy and his mother had only two lamps and no food in their refrigerator. In addition, Matt was disturbed by something else in Chauncy’s home.
While in Chauncy’s home, Matt met the boy’s mother, named Barbara Black. Matt’s first impression of Barbara was that she was incredibly gracious and kind. He could tell that the mother was genuinely thankful for what Matt had done.