When Brandon McNamee spotted a woman walking alone on the side of the road with no coat in the bitter cold, he stopped to give her a ride to work. But the act of kindness didn't stop there in this inspirational hitchhiker short story! (If you’d prefer to listen to the audio version of this story, scroll to the end of this article to find the podcast version below!)
Good Samaritan Brandon McNamee was driving down the highway in Missouri when he noticed a woman walking alone on the roadside with her thumb out.
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Though there are plenty of concerns with picking up a hitchhiker, Brandon couldn't bear the thought of leaving this woman outside on this 19 degree day. Despite the frigid temperature, she wasn't wearing a heavy coat or anything suitable for the cold.
So, he pulled over and offered her a ride. And what happened next is just amazing!
As Brandon and his impromptu passenger, Kim, started chatting, he learned all about why this woman was walking alone.
Kim worked at Wendy's and money was tight. And when she ran into car trouble, her only way of getting to her job was on foot. So, she left hours early to walk to the restaurant where she worked.
Hearing of Kim's troubles (and determination to get to work), Brandon was more than happy to give her a ride.
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"I ain't never picked nobody up off the side of the road before. I'm just glad you didn't kill me," Brandon joked as they arrived at Wendy's, which got a hearty laugh from Kim.
After dropping Kim off, Brandon shared his incredible hitchhiker short story on Facebook. And when one of his friends suggested getting Kim a gift card for the popular transportation service, Uber, things just took off!
No one wanted to see this woman walking alone in the cold again. And the offers to chip in money to help came fast and furious on Brandon's post.
In just under an hour, Brandon had enough to not only gift Kim with an Uber gift card, but cash as well to get her car fixed!
Now, he just needed to go to Wendy's to give her the money. (And get some lunch!)
Later on the same day Brandon McNamee picked up a woman walking alone, he walked into the Wendy's where she works.
Who knows what went through Kim's mind when she first spotted the stranger who'd given her a ride. But she soon became overwhelmed with emotion once he revealed why he was there!
"We got you a gift card to Uber right there for one-hundred bucks," Brandon explained.
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But he wasn't done! Brandon then handed Kim $200 to get her transmission fixed and another $200 in case anything else were to come with the car.
By the time Brandon was done, Kim was in tears. And he posted an update to Facebook later letting everyone know a mechanic had seen his hitchhiker short story and reached out to Kim to fix her car for free!
Brandon's inspiration for acts of kindness like this one makes this hitchhiker short story even more touching.
Tragically, Brandon recently lost his brother. And to honor his memory, Brandon has been partaking in all sorts of random acts of kindness. But even though he helped coordinate the fundraising for Kim, he was quick to give the credit to all of his Facebook friends who donated.
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It's beautiful seeing so many people come together to do something for someone else. And it just goes to show it is truly better to give than to receive!
h/t: Facebook/NBC12
Featured Image: Facebook/ Brandon McNamee
Mel is the senior writer for GodUpdates, finding, writing and sharing Christian, uplifting, and health-related stories from around the world. Mel has a passion for writing and graduated with a degree in English from Randolph-Macon College in Virginia. When she’s not researching and writing stories, Mel is very active in her church. You can usually find Mel playing board games with her husband and two young girls, giving someone a hug, or hunting down a good cup of coffee!