Waitress Helps Elderly Man Cut Meal and it Ends With a Surprising Ending

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Acts of kindness used to go largely unnoticed by the masses. Sure, you would see the odd newspaper article here and there, but that was about it. Nowadays, though, thanks to social media and everyone having a tiny camera/computer in their hands, these acts of kindness have become more viral than ever. When we are feeling down, we can turn to social media to see the amazing acts of kindness that go on in the world each and every day. For instance, take this Texas waitress who was just stopping to do what her momma taught her by helping an elderly gentleman.

What happened next will fill your heart with joy. Click the NEXT button below to see what happened after this simple act of kindness.

Image Source: USA Today
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Just a Little Town in Texas

Waitress Helps Elderly Man Cut Meal and it Ends with a Surprising Ending
Image Source: ABC News

Tucked away in the southeastern part of Texas is a little city that has a lot of things going for it. Part of the Houston metropolitan area, it is a small suburb with a lot of hard-working people. For this working-class community, one of the popular hangout spots for the locals is Waffle House. This diner-like restaurant gained some national attention a few years back when one of its waitresses did something very nice for one of its patrons.

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Working Hard for Her Money

Waitress Helps Elderly Man Cut Meal and it Ends with a Surprising Ending
Image Source: ABC7 Chicago

Evoni Williams was just 18 years old at the time and had recently graduated high school. Like many newly graduated students, Evoni was working hard trying to save money to go to college. She had clocked in for her morning shift, which was always the busiest, and began her day like any other. With a smile on her face, she began helping the customers, but little did she know that this day was going to change her life forever.

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Big Dreams

Waitress Helps Elderly Man Cut Meal and it Ends with a Surprising Ending
Image Source: Brain Sharper

Evoni had been working fulltime to put a little money back so that she could begin college classes and start building toward her future. Always one to wear a smile, she knew that, although Waffle House was a good job, this was not where her future lied. In fact, Evoni was looking forward to going to school for Business Management so she could open her own business. She couldn’t decide between a restaurant or a salon, but she knew that she wanted to build her own legacy.

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Mr. Karaoke

Waitress Helps Elderly Man Cut Meal and it Ends with a Surprising Ending
Image Source: Brain Sharper

Adriene Charpentier was a regular and someone everyone in town recognized. He even had himself a little nickname…” Mr. Karaoke”. It seems that Mr. Charpentier loved to belt out tunes at the local senior facility. He was a friendly guy, and he began talking with Evoni almost immediately. The gentleman had been in the hospital for a month or so, and he appreciated the friendly conversation. However, he also knew that he was going to need some help.

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Not Feeling So Good

Waitress Helps Elderly Man Cut Meal and it Ends with a Surprising Ending
Image Source: Houston Chronicle

Mr. Charpentier had been back and forth to the hospital several times over the last month. His stint in the hospital started with a case of pneumonia and progressed from there. His bouts of illness had affected his energy and ability to hold things. His hands were the most affected. He could hold a fork easily, but using a knife to cut his food was a challenge. This is when he reached out and asked for some help.

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Could I Get Some Help?

Waitress Helps Elderly Man Cut Meal and it Ends with a Surprising EndingImage Source: Articlestone

The elderly gentleman stopped his waitress and asked her to help him cut up his ham. Waffle House was quite busy at the time, but even with all of that, the young waitress stopped what she was doing and began to help him. The gentleman was very grateful, and as Evoni was cutting his food, he began to converse with her about his problems. He felt respected and grateful that this young woman would stop and do this for him.

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No Problem!

Waitress Helps Elderly Man Cut Meal and it Ends with a Surprising Ending
Image Source: Articlestone

When asked, Evoni said it was just something she would do for any guest. She took the time to talk with him and cut up his breakfast so that he would be able to enjoy it. The whole time, Evoni didn’t let the hustle and bustle of the restaurant dissuade her from helping Mr. Carpenter, even to the chagrin of some of her fellow workers. Though things were backing up and she knew it, she still took the time to let this customer know she cared.

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Customer First

Waitress Helps Elderly Man Cut Meal and it Ends with a Surprising Ending
Image Source: Articlestone

Evoni stopped literally everything that she was doing to help Mr. Charpentier with his problem. She knew that the customer always comes first and that the rest of her teammates would pick up some of the slack while she attended to her customer’s needs. This did mean that things were backed up a little at the window, though. However, once people were told why, they were okay with it, including the woman who would bear witness to this waitress’s kindness.

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Breakfast & Conversation

Waitress Helps Elderly Man Cut Meal and it Ends with a Surprising Ending
Image Source: Go Fund Me

As Evoni cut up his ham, she talked with Mr. Carpenter. He told her about all his health concerns of late, and she listened intently. Sharing a few words back and forth, the two didn’t chat long, but it was enough to make the experience less uncomfortable for Mr. Charpentier. After all, it is hard to ask for help and even more so in a public place, but the way that Evoni handled it didn’t bring attention to his struggles, and that made an impact on the elderly man.

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Act of Kindness

Waitress Helps Elderly Man Cut Meal and it Ends with a Surprising Ending
Image Source: 11 Alive

One of the other customers had their phone handy and snapped a picture of this act of kindness. They were taken back by the waitress’s lack of hesitation when she was asked to do this small favor for her guest. They knew that others needed to see this kindness, so they posted it to social media. After all, in this world, we are inundated with so much negativity that an act of kindness like this one needs to be put out there.

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Social Media Spotlight

Waitress Helps Elderly Man Cut Meal and it Ends with a Surprising Ending
Image Source: Keloland

This picture went out into the world of social media via Facebook with a kind message and a little explanation. The photographer stated that she didn’t know the young woman’s name but was impressed and touched that when the elderly gentleman asked for help, there was no hesitation whatsoever. She also talked about the fact that it was evident the gentleman was struggling and that she wished that more people were like this young lady.

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Going Viral

Waitress Helps Elderly Man Cut Meal and it Ends with a Surprising Ending
Image Source: Everyday Koala

It didn’t take long for the local community to catch wind of this, and within days, the post had gone viral. It drew attention from local news and officials, as well as from national networks and journalists. It seems like the world truly did need this act of kindness, and the woman who put this out there had done a favor for not only the masses but the young waitress, as well. Evoni and Mr. Charpentier were soon celebrities and had multiple interviews to expand upon the story.

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Catches the Eye

Waitress Helps Elderly Man Cut Meal and it Ends with a Surprising Ending
Image Source: University Fox

The local interaction with the viral post had people liking and tagging everyone they knew in it. One of the people that got tagged was the La Marque mayor of the time, Bobby Hocking. The minute he saw it, he knew that something had to be done. The fact that this young woman showed some consideration for an elderly member of her community tugged at his heartstrings. He knew that liking the post wasn’t enough, so he moved to make some big gestures.

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Something Special

Waitress Helps Elderly Man Cut Meal and it Ends with a Surprising Ending
Image Source: Galveston County Daily News

What was he going to be able to do that would rival how special this moment and act was? After all, this was something very special, a story that La Marque’s citizens were full of love and kindness to their neighbors. Whatever he did, it had to be big so that this young person knew that what she had done was something special.

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It’s Your Day

Waitress Helps Elderly Man Cut Meal and it Ends with a Surprising Ending
Image Source: Irish News

The first thing the mayor did was designate March 8th as Evoni ‘Nini’ Williams Day. This surprised Evoni, but she was flattered and happy to accept that honor. This would be something that would commemorate the act for years to come. The day was designated for this celebration for years to come. With that place, the mayor also hoped that it would inspire other youth to be as kind and thoughtful as the young waitress.

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No Way, for Me?!

Waitress Helps Elderly Man Cut Meal and it Ends with a Surprising Ending
Image Source: Irish Mirror

This wasn’t the only thing that Evoni received for her kind action. Initially, she was very humbled and a little perplexed, as it was something that she thought anyone would do for their fellow man. However, the next big gift would be the one that floored her and caused a few tears to be shed by her and her mother. The next big gesture would come from Texas Southern University.

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College Bound

Waitress Helps Elderly Man Cut Meal and it Ends with a Surprising Ending
Image Source: AMO Media

The President of Texas Southern had also been tagged in the photo and knew that, although the college wasn’t in La Marque, it was close enough that he felt pride in what the young woman had done. He put out the word and shared it with all the alumni in hopes that they could figure out some way to honor Evoni for her exemplary character. The alumni didn’t disappoint him at all, as they pulled together and did something fantastic for the young woman.

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Alumni Step Up

Waitress Helps Elderly Man Cut Meal and it Ends with a Surprising Ending
Image Source: ABC7 Chicago

Once the alumni had all seen what had happened, they too wanted to take action. They all began pitching into a fund to set up a scholarship for the young waitress from La Marque. By sharing and tagging fellow Tigers, they were able to build a nice little chunk of change. Once they had done this, the president of the college was then able to write the check and deliver it to Evoni at her work.

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Here’s a Little Cash

Waitress Helps Elderly Man Cut Meal and it Ends with a Surprising Ending
Image Source: ABC7 Chicago

That day, Evoni was completely blown away by the generosity of people. The president presented her with a ceremonial big check that had her name on it and a sum written in the box that she could have never dreamed of. Altogether, the alumni were able to pull together $16,000 to fund her scholarship to Texas Southern University. It was official! Evoni was going to be a Tiger. Needless to say, her loved ones were so very proud!

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It’s Just Business

Waitress Helps Elderly Man Cut Meal and it Ends with a Surprising Ending
Image Source: So Noticia Boa

With the ability to use this cash, Evoni now knew she would be able to head off to college and fulfill her dreams. She could attend classes and work towards her end goal of running her own business. To do this, Evoni planned to major in Business Administration. This would give her all the knowledge and acumen to be able to begin building towards either owning her own restaurant or salon in the future.

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Counseling for the Future

Waitress Helps Elderly Man Cut Meal and it Ends with a Surprising Ending
Image Source: God Years

The gifts weren’t done coming Evoni’s way, though. In order to get her started, the college also went one step further. They appointed her a counselor ahead of her admission so that she could begin working toward that dream even before fall classes started. The counselor was someone she could reach out to and meet with to have all her questions answered. Evoni was so moved that someone actually cared about what she had done, and she was thrilled to accept all the gifts.

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Always With a Smile

Waitress Helps Elderly Man Cut Meal and it Ends with a Surprising Ending
Image Source: Galveston County Daily News

Like with everything, Evoni did this all with a big smile on her face. As everyone got to know her, it seems that this was just the way she lived her life. Just ask her boss at Waffle House. He talked to many people about Evoni’s love for her community and fellow man. He expanded upon this by saying that no matter what life was giving the young woman, she always treated her customer the way she would want to be treated.

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More Social Media

Waitress Helps Elderly Man Cut Meal and it Ends with a Surprising Ending
Image Source: Newsner

Waffle House’s social media accounts even went so far as to post messages to Evoni. These messages talked about how proud of her they were and that she exemplified the mission statement for the company, which was to deliver a caring and welcoming atmosphere for the community. They wished her luck at college and let the world know that they knew that Evoni would do well. After all, she was an all-star human being.

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No Good Deed Goes Unnoticed

Waitress Helps Elderly Man Cut Meal and it Ends with a Surprising Ending
Image Source: Brain Sharper

The world can be a harsh place, but with people like Evoni Williams out there, it doesn’t seem to be hopeless. Thankfully, we live in a world where technology allows us to catch those moments that may otherwise be lost. The simple act of helping an elderly man cut his food is just one of the many amazing acts of kindness that take place every day. If you see one, make sure to snap and share. We could all use a little hope.

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