The power of kindness can do wonders for someone who is down on their luck.
Danielle MacDuff showed how compassion can change lives when she spontaneously made an employment offer to a homeless man that she encountered in her hometown in Newcastle, Ontario.
One day MacDuff saw Brian Bannister outside a drugstore, reading a book and collecting change from passersby.
She decided to strike up a conversation, and after 25 minutes, she made a spontaneous employment offer and asked Bannister to work on her farm the very next day.
He recalled, “It floored me. It just came from the heart with her and I got to thank her every day.”
Before MacDuff’s startling employment offer, the 60-year-old Bannister was living in a shed and was barely surviving through tough times.
He had overcome addiction, survived abuse, and lost two wives. One died in a crash while the other succumbed to cancer.
The past two years had been particularly rough, and he had practically given up. The employment offer came at exactly the right time.
There is a lot to do at the farm, and every day MacDuff, Bannister, and the other staff clean stalls, haul hay, and care for 200 animals including goats, cows, horses, and dogs.
Though they work in shifts, the tasks take all day, and everyone gets to rest in the middle of the day. Aside from the employment offer, MacDuff even drives Bannister back and forth in town.
She said, “He’s so kind, compassionate, he’s amazing with my children, my animals. And his willingness to help me on the farm is very, very much appreciated.”
MacDuff has gone even further beyond the employment offer and the rides to work. She got him his first haircut and shave in two years, provided a phone, and facilitated access to some provincial financial support.
MacDuff even got the community to help Bannister get back on his feet. Together, they helped raise money for him to have food, and clothes, as well as a room to sleep in.
The community is also working on finding a permanent living space for Bannister.
To generate funds, MacDuff created a GoFundMe page, stating, “I can’t afford to pay much so I reached out to our community. I really want to raise enough money to get Brian in a nice warm place he can call his own and rebuild his life.”
The post further stated, “It is so cold out there and he lives in a small shed with no insulation. We have managed to get him a hotel room for two nights but tomorrow he will be back outside after work. Anything helps, even if you share this.”
The page has since generated CAD$10,810 from generous donors. Bannister is understandably touched by all the support.
He said, “It’s overwhelming. I can’t believe anyone would care for me this much.” The two not only enjoy working together but have also formed a lasting friendship.
MacDuff may have made the employment offer, but she also gained a lot from this relationship.
She said, “He has no idea what this has done for me. If we could get everyone off the street ideally that would be my one wish, but it takes a lot of people to come together and that is what has happened for Brian. I think that’s why we’ve come so far in such a short time.”
A simple act of kindness surely goes a long way. Immediately realizing that Bannister was a kind soul who had just fallen into hard times, MacDuff made the employment offer that turned his life around.
Some people just need a nudge in the right direction that comes from a place of warmth and compassion. Watch their story in the video below:
@ctvnewstoronto 60-year-old Brian Bannister was unhoused, overcame addiction, survived abuse and lost two wives, one in a crash, the other to cancer. Over the past two years, he says he gave up. But then he met Danielle McDuff in Newcastle, Ontario, who did more than just offer him a job on her farm. She also got him his first haircut in two years, a phone, access to government supports and an a rare camaraderie made possible through selfless acts of kindness. #ctvnews #ctvnewstoronto #toronto #ctvtoronto #news #explore #foryou #fyp #ontario #canada #gta #newcastle #farm #homeless #unhoused #actsofkindness #goodsamaritan #canadiankindness #goodnews #goodnewsstory #goodnewstiktok #newstiktok #kindnessmatters #actsofservice #homelessness #goodpeople #gooddeeds #canadiantiktok ♬ original sound – ctvnewstoronto
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