A broke man from, Carlton, Nottingham put a shopping bag outside his garden, hoping to get ‘couple of tins of beans’ from the people passing by besides some money to get his heating and electricity connections restored.
To his surprise, the man named William, soon got food from Clifton food bank. In addition to that, his electric and heating connections were restored in just a few hours.
Speaking to a local media outlet, the man explained that he had only hoped to get a ‘couple of tins of beans.’ Thankfully, the help people offered him did not stop at that.
William got notes from a number of people willing to offer him fresh food and monetary assistance.
A person from the same neighborhood, Jenny Connell, offered William a hot dinner twice every week.
The cash donations William received included a £1($1.30) bill with a note, saying: “Sorry it’s not a lot. In thousands of debt myself but what’s an extra £1! Merry Christmas x.”
A kid donated their whole pocket money to William while another anonymous person, who’s still paying the loan they took for their son’s funeral, also donated.
A person who donated £1.78($2.30) left a note, saying: “I can only apologize this is all I have in my bank account, we all fall on hard times including myself at the moment but we all need to help each other.”
Craig Crawford, the businessman who started the movement to help William, said: “It’s heart-breaking but heart-warming seeing people give their last penny to help him.
“It’s humbling and I’m proud to see the community pull together to help when someone is in need. It’s a great example of what social media can do.”
The money generated by William’s bag in the garden will be used for William’s help and the remainder will be saved for others like him.
William, who has been unemployed for quite a time, has been living alone since his mother died. He used to sale his furniture and other stuff to get enough money to put food on the table.
People have contacted adult social care to help William claim old-age benefits. As of now, the man said he won’t claim the benefits because there were people who deserve it more.
William might also qualify to get financial aid from Boots benevolent fund, where he used to work.
William does not just need money, he also needs a company to fill his loneliness. After his story went viral on social media, his cousin contacted him, saying they will visit him soon.
To further help William fight the loneliness, a Facebook page named ‘Send William A Christmas Card & Help Him!’ has been created by someone, which asks people to write Christmas cards to the man.
A message from an 11-year-old from Savannah said: “I am so sorry you have to live like this but we are going to try and help you soooo much. I am so glad to help you.
“My sister had bought some stuff to try and make you feel better.”
Replaced!