Who is Wyatt? How Pennsylvania McDonald’s worker paid for family meal and got $43K in return
We have heard time and again that it costs nothing to be kind and right now, looking at the current situation we all are in, the need for empathy and kindness is more than ever. Recently, a McDonald’s employee from Pennsylvania helped out a mother and her three children, and the story has since gone viral, reported WGN9.
As per the report, Brittany Reed posted about the encounter on Facebook, and it’s received around 710K reactions and about 560K shares. In the post, Reed wrote that on September 23, she visited McDonald's with her three children. Her seven-year-old daughter was crying because Reed told her that they were having red potatoes as a side for dinner “so I threw my hands up and said FORGET it – McDonald’s tonight!!”
Later, when she pulled up to the drive-thru window to pay, she realized she had forgotten her purse at home. “I look at the young man with tears in my eyes just from being stressed and annoyed and say “hun, I am so sorry but I have to cancel that order I left my purse at home when we went to football tonight” WITHOUT HESITATION he takes out his wallet and swipes his card before I could even say ‘no I will be right back!’,” she wrote in her post.
Reed did pay him back, even though he didn’t want to take more than he had paid for and also tried to talk her out of it. She further wrote in her post, “I snapped a quick picture and asked his name to which he replied Wyatt Jones ma’am.” She added, “I just want his parents to know how KIND & COMPASSIONATE your son was tonight! He made this stressed out momma pause for a moment and realize this is exactly what we parents are trying to do, raise great humans. Well Wyatt sir, you are an amazing human!!!” Reed also wrote: “Wyatt, do not let this world change your kind heart young man for its people like YOU that will change this world for the better!”
As reported by WGN9, she found out that Wyatt had been saving money to buy a car. So, a GoFundMe fundraiser titled ‘Be Like Wyatt’ was set up with a goal of $5,000. But by the time of publishing the report, the page had raised more than $43,000.
The page description read: “We are setting this Go Fund Me up for him because we have recently found out that he is working at McDonald’s to save up to buy a car and I want to pay it forward and show him the same type of kindness he showed me. This story touched many hearts and they too wanted to show who much they appreciated his kind heart. (I was able to locate his mother and given her the access to this GoFundMe). Thank you Wyatt and I hope this helps get you closer to your goal of buying your own car!”
Wyatt’s mother, Lisa Jones, spoke to WLWT and said that her son didn’t mention the incident initially because he didn’t think it was a big deal. His mother said, “It makes me even probably more proud of him because he's not seeking the limelight. He's not like, 'Hey, look at me, you know, I did this great big good deed.' He's still like ... 'It's just something I would do anytime.”
According to whio.com, Wyatt said, "She just looked like she was having a bad day and needed help. That’s… all, really." The company honored Wyatt on October 7 with a ceremony in the presence of Waynesville’s Police Chief and City Manager. They presented the teenager with a proclamation and announced October 7 as Wyatt Jones Day in Waynesville.