TMSG: Good Samaritan Raises $84K To Help 94-Year-Old Street Vendor

July 23, 2020 Bobby Bones, Videos

 

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Came to Chase earlier and noticed this man. He was selling tamales, so I approached him and gave him the cash I had and told him to keep the tamales for someone else. I started talking to him, and he told me that because he’s old, no one will hire him, so he sells tamales for a lady, and then she gives him money at the end of the day. His name is Joel, he’s 94 years old and uses a wheelchair to get around. He can barley afford to buy his coffee and bread in the morning to eat, and doesn’t have money to pay for a phone, let alone his medication. I found all this out, just by taking a few minutes out of my day to acknowledge a stranger. I gave him my phone number, and told him to call me whenever he needs anything… this breaks my heart. If anyone wants to help him out, please reach out to me. Second video is me giving him $50 that someone donated to him and a Torta Ahogada I bought for him. He said he’s gonna go to church tomorrow and pray for me. 😭

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94-year-old Jose Villa Ochoa, who goes by the nickname “Don Joel,” was brought to tears thanks to the generosity of a total stranger.

Don Joel told 28-year-old Kenia Barragan that because of his age, no one would hire him. As a result, he had to start selling tamales for a woman who gives him money at the end of each day. Don Joel’s story inspired Barragan to share his story online in hopes of getting him a little help.

Barragan shared the long story on her Instagram page and was able to raise more than $80,000 for Don Joel so he could live more comfortably. Not only that, Barragan purchased a new wheelchair and a new pair of shiny black shoes for him.