Teen Boy Begs For Food At Kroger, Has No Idea His Life Is About To Change

Going to the grocery store is something that almost everybody does on a weekly basis. You probably have the same store that you go to each time, maybe getting to know the employees and having conversations each time you go.

Most of the time it’s business as usual, but if you’re Matt White, a trip to the grocery store will completely change how you view life, your circumstances, and the people around you. And it all started with a simple trip to the store.

Dimes To Donuts

Matt White was at a Kroger store in an upper-class part of a generally poor area in Memphis one night when 16-year-old Chauncy Jones approached him.

Before the boy could even get all the words out of his mouth, White was taken aback by the look on his face — a mixture of shame and defeat.

Jones had taken the bus to the “rich people’s Kroger,” as he referred to it, in hopes of working for food since he had none. He only an hour to do it before he had to catch the bus back to his house, where he lived alone with his mother.

A Long Shot

Something as simple as which grocery store you go to may not seem so important, but to Chauncy, it made a world of difference. This was the place where he was most likely to earn some money to buy food, something most of us take for granted.

To this boy, however, a full belly before going to bed wasn’t something he could ever be sure of.

Taking A Chance

The teen asked White if he could carry his groceries out to his car for him in exchange for a pack of glazed donuts. “He looked ashamed, hungry, and broken,” White would recall.

So, he immediately said that he would get him some donuts, but he wanted to do something else, too. There was just something about this kid that was pulling at White’s heartstrings. And as they both would find out, this was only the beginning.

A Small Price

Hearing the boy’s humble request nearly broke White’s heart. The look of defeat and shame on the boy’s face and all for something as simple as a few donuts was almost too much. White knew that he had to help the boy.

What neither of them realized at that moment was that they were both about to go on a life-changing journey.