COVID-19 took a lot more than just people’s physical health away from them. It also had a profound impact on the social lives, careers, and overall financial situation of many people.
Lots of people found themselves jobless and homeless during the pandemic without much light at the end of the tunnel. Luckily for man in New Zealand, a chance meeting with a Domino’s franchise owner turned the tide towards success.
How a Chance Meeting Changed a Homeless Man’s Life
Brian “Sooty” Wallace is one of the unlucky people who lost their job during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The job loss led to homelessness for Sooty, and he found himself panhandling with hand-written signs. One of his signs was written on the back of a Domino’s pizza box -- a fact that would end up changing his life.
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One day, Sooty crossed paths with Rishi Sharma. Rishi immediately noticed that Sooty’s signs were on pizza boxes, which got his attention due to the fact that the man ran several Domino’s franchises.
He took an even closer look at Sooty’s pizza box sign and concluded that the box was actually from one of his stores.
He chatted briefly with the shivering homeless man, finding out that he hadn’t had anything to eat in days. The pizza box sign was also a sign from above -- he had to help Sooty!
As the old saying goes, “If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.” Rishi took this saying to heart when thinking about how to best help Sooty get back on his feet.
He decided to offer Sooty a fresh pizza that he would make himself. The two went to Domino’s and Rishi made his new friend a ham and cheese pizza. Afterwards, he made Sooty an offer he couldn’t resist: to work for him.
How a Man Proved the Importance of Lending a Helping Hand
Sooty immediately accepted Rishi’s offer, elated at the chance to get back on his feet. He started by using the wobble board outside, directing customers to the restaurant, but also trained in other areas. Sooty is a quick learner, and quickly made Rishi feel like he had made the right decision by letting him into his life.
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“Within 48 hours I was able to help a man go from being unemployed, to employed -- providing him with a simple, yet life-changing opportunity," Rishi said.
There is no doubt that the world seems scarier than ever. It seems like all we see around us are negative stories and scary headlines. It is our responsibility to add as much positivity to the world as possible, just like Rishi did.
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