One Thursday night I worked at the Birmingham Zoo for the Zoo Light Safari. We got done around 9:30, and when I got in the car I was starving and freezing. My mom had a box of doughnuts in the car, so that's what I ate. On our way home we were at a red light and this man was standing in the middle of the road with a sign that said "Starving, give food." This man was homeless and didn't have anything to eat. We stopped and gave the man the box of doughnuts. Yeah, there were just a few left, but he was so appreciative of them. I understood how cold he was––I had just been outside myself for 5 hours, but he does that every day and night. The poor man didn't even have any food.

People always see homeless people on the street and say, "Oh, they aren't that bad off. They could go get a job and do better." Nobody ever stops to think that maybe that person doesn't have anyone to help them. They might not be able to go get a job. People are always afraid to stop because they think if they give them money the homeless will just go buy drugs or alcohol. They don't stop and think, "Why don't I go buy them food?"

Stop judging people just because they have different circumstances than you and are under different conditions than you are. Some people actually do appreciate your help and want better for themselves. It broke my heart seeing that man outside in the cold hungry. I wish I could have done more for him. I know he was grateful for the doughnuts, and I hope someday I can help that man again. I wish the best for him and everyone else who is homeless with no food or anything to drink or with no warmth. God gives us food every day without complaining, so why do we have to complain about giving other people food?