Your cortisol spikes. Hands clam up. You’re unsure whether to reach for a phone or a weapon. It’s normal to freeze or panic in stressful moments such as a robbery.
But when Jitendra “Jay” Singh — a 7-Eleven owner in Toledo, Ohio — noticed a teen stealing items from his store, the confrontation went nothing as you’d expect.
When a clerk alerted Singh that someone who looked suspicious was taking items off the shelves and putting them into his pockets.
Before confronting the teenage boy, Singh had observed him on the surveillance cameras. When he did, the teen’s response shocked him:
“He said, ‘I’m stealing for myself. I’m hungry, and I’m doing it for my younger brother.’”
Related: Brad Paisley and His Wife Are Opening a Grocery Store Where Everything Is Free
Doing the right thing
The average store owner might have taken matters into their own hands or called the police. On this occasion, Singh chose neither option.
“It’s not going to make any difference to me if I give him some food because we make a lot of food, we sell a lot of food,” he said. “If he goes to jail then he’s definitely not going to do anything good in life.”
In his five years owning that 7-Eleven, Singh simply wishes to help others when he can — to be a source of kindness in his community.
And his generous actions didn’t go unnoticed.
Bystanders were touched by what happened
Cedric Bishop posted his version of the story on Facebook and is largely why this touching story has reached so far.
“The owner made him empty out his pockets. He had a lot of munchies… The owner said this is not food. You want food I give you food… I thought that was an amazing thing the owner did. I was so touched I gave the young man $10.00. Some young people just need to know that someone cares.”
One person who isn’t the slightest surprised by Singh’s actions is his wife of almost 30 years, Neera, who knows intimately just how kind her husband is.
“We are part of the community and we have to help the community,” she said. “It is a part of our job.”
In the same way, Singh hopes that the teenage boy pays it forward later in his life, let’s try and do the same in our lives.
If you or somebody you know struggles to put food on the table, see where you can find your local food bank.
Read next: What Poverty Taught Me About Being “Too Generous”
The post 7-Eleven Owner Helps Shoplifting Teen appeared first on The Hearty Soul.