Minnesota Cafe Owner Gives Homeless Man Something Better Than Cash
Three weeks ago, when a baggy-clothed homeless man walked into Cesia Abigail’s cafe, he was in for a pleasant surprise when the cafe owner offered him more than cash. The cafe owner of Abi’s Cafe had a conversation with the man known as Marcus.
“Why don’t you have a job? You know nothing is given to me for free, right?”
Marcus avoided eye contact by bowing his head. “Well, I have a lot of felonies and no one wants to hire me for that. So, now I had to turn myself to the streets and get money the only way I know — stealing and asking for money.”
Abigail business has been going through a rough time, but regardless of that she had a kind-heart and offered Marcus a job for the day.
“You want a job? Then I have one for you.”
Marcus was more than happy to accept the cafe owner’s offer and informed her that he would do anything for food. When Marcus was prepping to start the job offered to him the cafe owner, Abigail offered him a sandwich. Marcus gladly took the sandwich, but before eating, he wrapped half of the meal in foil, Marcus then ran outside and gave it to another homeless woman on the street.
The cafe owner was truly touched by this act of kindest from Marcus.
Abigail could only afford to pay Marcus for two hours of work, and when he completed his time, Marcus was on his away. The next day, Marcus returned for another shift. Marcus returned everyday on time for two weeks for his two-hour shift, and after two weeks the cafe owner made Marcus position permanent.
“Some restaurants wouldn’t even let you use their restrooms. I don’t judge someone on how they look — go use it. I do not treat [homeless people] any different.”
Abigail states that she understands why people would see her as a blessing to Marcus, but the cafe owner sees Marcus as a blessing to her and her business. Abigail says that Marcus came at a time when she was shorted handed, and she was also ready to give up on the dream of her restaurant.
Marcus has been living on the streets since he was 16 years old, even though the job is a step in the right direction, he still has a long way to go to turn his life around. The pair decided to take 10 percent from Marcus’s paycheck and set it aside so he can start learning to save his money.
“It’s going to be hard for him to let go of whatever addiction he has. “I want to help [him], but [he] needs to want to help [himself.]”
The cafe owner shared her story of Marcus on Facebook and encouraged other people to give other people a shot. Abigail Facebook post received a lot of positive comments, followed by thousands of shares and likes. The positive feedback that came pouring in encouraged the cafe owner to start a Go Fund Me so that Marcus could get enough funds to get a place to stay. The goal was for one thousand dollars and so far over six thousand dollars have been donated.
The Power of Paying it Forward
Cesia Abigail of Abi’s Café in Minneapolis…https://t.co/Q3O2LeEdSW pic.twitter.com/4JZgCiqkeJ— Daily Work (@DailyWorkHelps) March 30, 2016
The cafe owner Abigail has truly benefited from paying forward when she gave Marcus the job. The story has been aired on CBS and Fox, and it has brought success to her cafe. She even posted on Facebook that the cafe had to be closed to train the new staff.
