Friendship Forged in Memphis Parking Lot Leads to $300,000.

Teen Offered Help to a Stranger in Exchange for Donuts, Next Thing Happened is Heartwarming

Not all people are born into a family that can make ends meet. There are families who have been less fortunate and even other families with nothing at all but they still manage to survive life's challenges with a smile on their face. 

Just like this incredible story of the teenager, Chauncy Jones Black and his God-sent angel, Matt White. 

It all started when Chauncy, a 16-year-old teen went to the grocery store.

Chauncy Jones Black with his angel, Matt White.

Chauncy, despite being poor, was an excellent student and a good son, living with his mother in Memphis, Tennessee. He was trying to get a job to help his mom out with their daily expenses for food, bills, and rent. 

To start things off, he went to a Kroger and walked around, asking random strangers if they could help buy him a few basic groceries. For starters, he just wanted to get a snack of some glazed donuts.

It was at that moment that his life was about to change.

Kroger Memphis, Tennessee

Chauncy approached another man named Matt White.

He approached Matt in an electric cart with only a pack of donuts in it. He asked Matt if he could carry his groceries back to his car for him if Matt would buy him the pack of donuts. Needless to say, Matt was shocked and touched. Although Chauncy only asked for some donuts, Matt decided to go all in and get him a whole house full of groceries!

After Matt learned about Chauncy's life, the two of them made their rounds around the store together, buying everything Chauncy needed.

After they went shopping, Matt took Chauncy home and saw how the teen and his family were living.

Matt, Chauncy and his mom.

Matt even shared his experiences on Facebook and wrote:

“I just met the most inspiring person ever. His name is Chauncy Jones. He’s a 16 year old from Memphis. He had taken the bus at 9:00 at night to get to the “rich people’s Kroger” on Highland as he called it. He approached me while I was shopping for produce asking if he could help me carry my grocery bags to my car in exchange for buying him a pack of glazed donuts. This kid looked like he had been turned down 100 times. He looked ashamed, hungry and broken. In my heart I screamed a loud “yes!”, but to him I just chuckled and said, “yeah dude, we’ll get you some donuts” . . .

Chauncy’s dream is to have a landscaping business.

All the while we talked and he told me how he makes straight A’s in school and is trying to get a job to help his mom pay rent. This kid was amazing. Chauncy kept calling himself poor, but he told me that one day he was gonna be wealthy and own his own businesses so that he could help other people in his neighborhood and buy them groceries like me. I was in awe. I gave him a ride home so that he didn’t have to take the bus and when we got to his house I was truly humbled. He wasn’t kidding. He and his mom had nothing. They didn’t even have beds or furniture. They were sleeping on pads made out of sleeping bags, they had two lamps and nothing in their fridge. Nothing. His mother was so sweet but very fragile. I couldn’t tell what it was, but she had some sort of physical and/ or mental disability that made her shake and made walking difficult. I thought I was going to cry.”

Matt's post was shared more than 30,000 times.

Chauncy’s Chance

After seeing the life of Chauncy’s family, White knew he had to help them. So, he started a GoFundMe for Chauncy’s family which quickly pumped past a few hundred dollars to a few thousand to more than $300,000! As part of their journey, Chauncy and his mother used some of the money and donations to fund Chauncy’s lawn-mowing business, healthcare costs, furniture, and other essentials.

And the two became close and now are best friends!

Matt and Chauncy

Above all, this story is a reminder that it pays to open our hearts and be present in the moment. Although it’s easy to worry only about ourselves and to stay shut off from the world, letting other people in can sometimes open us up to all kinds of miracles.

“Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for a kindness.”

- Lucius Annaeus Seneca