21-year-old Simon Childs, a homeless father who was photographed sleeping at a McDonald's in-between shifts, received an outpouring of support after he was shamed by an angry woman on the internet.
According to Hollywood Unlocked, the woman has been identified as Luann Cofield, who was eating at a McDonald's in Fayette County, Georgia when she noticed Childs sleeping in a nearby booth. She then took to Facebook to post a photo of him and share her annoyance over Childs' struggles. In her post, she recalls seeing Childs dozed off and admits that the homeless population was "just another reason for me to leave Fayetteville." She then told a McDonald's employee what Childs was doing, and was assured by the worker that "it's ok."
After recently losing his mother and having to care for his young son, the 21-year-old was going through a particularly hard time. "Everything I do, I want to work for it," Childs told local news station WSB-TV. "It kind of hurt to see my picture up there, you know? I thought it was something negative and nobody would care about it."
What the Cofield didn't know at the time of her post was that she would indirectly inspire members of the community to donate to Childs in light of his hardships. Some people donated hotel rooms, while others dropped diapers, clothes, and other supplies off for him at the McDonald's. "They changed my life in a couple of days," he said. Two local entrepreneurs, Chefs Xavier and Theo Thomas, even offered to let Childs borrow their car so he can get to-and-from job interviews. "It definitely will help him get around and give him a better opportunity," Thomas said.
Despite her criticisms, Childs said that he holds no anger towards Cofield. "I'm not homeless, not now, thanks to her," he explained. "I didn't think the community would even care enough to do that, but they care."
