I believe that all hobos deserve a cheeseburger from McDonalds. If you’ve ever seen or heard about a hobo, you know they will most likely ask you for money. I would have normally given it to them to buy food without a second thought, but if it wasn’t for a random act of kindness my Mom showed to a homeless person, I probably would think differently to this day.


We were one car away from the box that takes orders at McDonalds my mom was squinting at the menu sign to see what she wanted when all of a sudden someone tapped the driver’s side window. There was a dirty man with scruffy clothes covered by a long brown trench coat. My mom rolled down a window and the man smiled as she addressed him. I’ve never really seen a hobo before, and my young eyes were wide with shock that my Mom even considered that talking to this man was a good idea.



“Please ma’am, may I have some change?” he asked “I’m really hungry, and I have no money to buy food for myself.” Mom pondered this for a bit, and responded “No offence, but I’m not sure if you’ll really use the money for food or just go out to buy cigarettes or drugs… So, tell me what you want, and I’ll meet you in front of the restaurant.” The man’s face lightened up and he agreed, asking for only a cheeseburger, not even a drink to go along with it.


My Mom nodded and the man walked away to wait at the front of McDonalds. “You’re not really going to get him anything, right?” I asked, my brother in the backseat agreeing with me. “No, I’m really going to give him one, because it’s the right thing to do.” My Mom said, and then turned to the speaking box that asked to take her order. My brother and I were silent, still not believing what she was doing.


As we drove away to our house, I couldn’t help thinking about how grateful the man was and the words my Mom had said to him to make him look that way. “When you get back on your feet, always remember to give to those who are less fortunate because one day that might be you again.” That’s why I think a simple act of kindness like giving a hobo a cheeseburger is the best gift of all because you can make sure that they don’t abuse your money and they can still get what they need. That’s why I don’t mind when I give a homeless person a gift as long as I know that it’s something they need and it won’t cause harm to them. So next time, if you feel in the mood to give, don’t give a hobo money but a cheeseburger instead.