Mark Meadows may be known as the owner of Chick-fil-A in Birmingham, Alabama, but to his community, he is a man who has a heart of gold.
Meadows was approached by a young homeless man, who came out of the cold weather, to ask if he could exchange his work services for a bite to eat. Meadows being the Good Samaritan that he is had something else in mind for the man who has fallen on hard times.
Meadows saw the man rubbing his hands as he was talking to the man, and he asked if he had a pair of gloves. The man did not, and Meadows went and grabbed his own, and continued to give the man his personal pair, along with a bite to eat.
Andrea Stoker, a patron of the restaurant, who was eating lunch with her son, observed the whole situation, and took a picture of the tow of them together. Her recollection stated, “I’m a Chick-fil-A fan and have been for years. I trust the food for my son and support companies that are founded on Christian beliefs. What I saw today just confirms why this chain is so successful — God blesses His people. My son and I were at the location on Highway 280 in Birmingham, AL when a man came in to escape the 35 degree temps and strong winds with all of his earthly possessions… trapped to his back.”
Meadows, who has become somewhat of a local hero because of his kind action during the “snowpocalypse” that plagued Alabama last year, where he handed out free chicken sandwiches and biscuits to drivers who were stranded in their cars, had this to stay about the situation,
“Sometimes we have individuals walk in the store that it’s obvious need some help. Yesterday at around 3:30 p.m. a gentleman walked in — I don’t know if he is homeless or not — but he walked up to me and asked if there was anything he could do to earn a little food. I asked him if he had a pair of gloves because he kept rubbing his hands together,” he continues by saying, “Most businesses would force him out but I watched as the manager walked up to him and asked if he could do anything for him. Before the man could even answer, the manager asked if he had a pair of gloves and walked to the table at which he’d been sitting and picked up his own. As he handed the man his gloves, he asked another employee to get him something to eat. It was wonderful to see your employees being the hands and feet of Jesus, and that my son was able to witness it all. Thank you for putting your money where your mouth is.
Although Chick-fil-A has been under scrutiny for their extremist religion perspectives, Meadows shows that having a strong religious background has shown him the right thing to do as a human being. Meadows has definitely helped restore some folk’s faith in humanity.
Photo: Andrea Stoker
