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Carmen Mendez from Anaheim, California was at a restaurant when she noticed a homeless woman asking people if they could spare their leftovers. Mendez watched as people continuously ignored the woman and threw away their food – despite her desperate request. Carmen was so determined to help, that when she was done eating her meal, she gave the woman what was left of it. Carmen’s boyfriend took this photograph of the two women hugging. Carmen Mendez then shared the photo with this message on Facebook:

“I felt like a horrible human being feeding her my leftover chicken strip, she deserved so much more. So I bought her a whole meal, she deserved to eat a hot meal. When I ordered the meal I asked the employee for a huge favor to please not kick her out as we waited. I could already see the disgust on people’s faces as she sat at the table eating the leftovers I had given her. News flash people, not all homeless people smell like roses. She was getting ready to get up and leave when I surprised her with this meal, the look on her face said it all. I have never felt something like this pure, real, gratitude. That hug she gave me was like a hug I had never felt, those tears she shed were felt deep in my heart. I held her tight and let her let it out. I wasn’t repulsed by it. I just held her. And that is a moment I will never ever forget. So next time you judge a homeless person, think twice, not all of them are homeless because of a drug addiction or because they are lazy”.