A photo of a Chicago McDonald’s employee helping a disabled customer cut his food has gone viral on social media and now the employee is being recognized by the fast food chain.
The image, which was first posted to Facebook last week, has been shared more than 318,000 times on Facebook and received more than 2.3 million views on other social media platforms.
The woman who took the photo, Destiny Carreno, posted that she was waiting in line to order when an elderly handicapped man “wheeled himself over to the cashier” and asked for help.
“Neither of us knew what help he needed, and the cashier suggested a few things before he figured out the gentleman needed help cutting and eating his meal,” the Facebook post read. “To be honest, I thought the cashier wasn’t going to help, especially during rush hour in downtown Chicago, but to my shock, he shut down his register and disappeared from view.”
Carreno said the cashier put on gloves, came out from the kitchen and began cutting the man’s meal.
Seeing this today brought tears to my eyes! Compassion has NOT gone out of style.Today I made a quick stop at McDonald…
Posted by Destiny Carreno on Wednesday, September 16, 2015
“At that point, the tears started to gather in my eyes,” she wrote. “My heart was so appreciative for what he did. I couldn’t contain my emotions in the crowded restaurant.”
The owner of the McDonald’s where the photo was taken, Rod Lubeznik, said in a statement the company is very proud of the employee, who they identified as Kenny. He added the restaurant chain is “overwhelmed by the positive response [Kenny] has received for his compassion and kindness.”
“It’s a true testament to who Kenny is, and a reminder to us all that one seemingly small act of kindness can touch the hearts of so many,” the statement read.
Lubeznik said the restaurant planned to recognize Kenny during a rewards presentation Wednesday.
