Roommates, the woman who posted a viral photo of a homeless McDonald’s employee has had a change of heart!
Luann Cofield reached out to WSB-2 news looking for contact and apologize to 21-year-old father Simon Childs, after she posted a photo of him sleeping between his shifts at a local McDonald’s.
As we previously reported, Simon was asleep in a Fayetville McDonald’s when Luann snapped his photo and posted it to a private Facebook group.
“Just another reason for me to leave Fayetteville,” her post reads. “I was in the McDonald’s in the middle of town and I saw this guy sleeping in the booth, I go and tell an employee that someone was asleep in their booth and her response was ‘oh yeah, we know hee hee, it’s ok’ and I said ‘not really, but whatever’.”
What Luann meant as a malicious message, however, turned Simon’s life around for the better!
After the post went viral, members of the Fayetteville community learned Simon was homeless, and was working overtime at McDonald’s to provide for himself and his 4-month-old child.
Shortly after, members of the community began gathering donations for Simon, including clothes, monetary gifts, and even a new car! They also pitched in with necessities for his little one, and helped him get a new job.
Unfortunately for Luann, her post going viral did not sit kindly with the people of social media. After receiving much backlash, the decided to reach out to the local news station that spoke with Simon so she could meet him in person and apologize.
Video footage shows Simon and Luann coming face to face in a heartwarming way, and with a smile, Simon accepts Luann’s apology,
She becomes physically emotional about the entire situation, and when asked by the reporter about her feelings, she says she never meant to hurt Simon or his child.
“I didn’t want to hurt him,” she says. “I’m so sorry Simon, this really horrifies me.”
Simon is doing much better for himself with a new job and and community members are still pitching in for hotel stays until he can find a permanent home!
