One day, a nice woman chose to meet a homeless man for five minutes and ended up providing him a job and helping him locate a place to live.

Danielle MacDuff was on her way to make coffee for the crew at her family’s farm in Newcastle, Ontario, when she observed a homeless man reading a book while sitting on a bucket, his hat on the ground in front of him, hoping for spare change. She had seen the homeless man several times before but had never talked to him, so she decided that today would be a good day to say hello.

“The day I did stop, I was heading out to get coffee for the other staff and I just said to myself: I have five minutes, you know, I’ve got to make five minutes to stop and ask this man what his story is and why he’s there,” Danielle said.

Danielle learned the homeless man’s name was Brian, and his friendly demeanor led to them talking for more than twenty minutes. Brian stated that he’d been having a rough time; he’d been sleeping outside in the cold, had recently lost a loved one, and was close to giving up after being homeless for the past two years.

Danielle invited Brian to come to work on her farm, and he happily agreed. Danielle returned the next morning to pick him up at 8 a.m., and Brian began assisting at the farm.

“It floored me. It just came from the heart with her, and I thank her every day,” Brian said.
“You jumped right off your pail, you were so excited!,” Danielle said as they laughed together.

Brian, who is 60 years old, worked at a farm more than 20 years ago, and his previous experience came back to him while working with Danielle and her friendly team.

“He’s so kind, compassionate, he’s amazing with my children, my animals, and his willingness to help me on the farm is very, very much appreciated,” Danielle said.

A snowstorm was anticipated while Brian continued to work for Danielle, and she was anxious about him having a warm place to stay. They raised enough money, with the help of a few friends, to book him a hotel room for a few nights to stay warm.

Danielle realized that Brian only needed a little assistance to get his life back on track, so she launched a GoFundMe campaign in the hopes of raising enough funds to pay for a permanent place for Brian to reside.

In just a few week time, kind hearts donated more than $10,000 to help Brian get his life back in order. Danielle has now helped Brian find a permanent place to live and helped him get his first haircut in two years, plus a new cell phone.

Brian shared how deeply grateful he is for Danielle’s and everyone’s kindness.

“I didn’t think anybody cared about me anymore until Danielle came to stop and talk to me one day,” Brian said with heartfelt emotion, “and she came back the next day and offered me a job at the farm, and it’s changed my life immensely.”