An Arizona teenager took the shoes off his own feet for an older man struggling to walk near a Walgreens in Maricopa. The encounter has since spread online, but Jordan Hope’s help continued after the moment someone caught on camera.
Witness Yareli Madrid shared the moment in a Facebook post addressed to anyone who recognized the young man. She did not identify him by name, opening with a message to his family.
“This is what kindness looks like,” she wrote, praising the young man for helping without expecting recognition.
Hope, 18, came to know the man as Mr. Roy. He learned about the recording when his grandmother sent the Facebook post to the family group chat, he explained in the FOX 10 interview. He had noticed a truck facing him during the encounter without realizing someone was filming.
A Little Longer
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ABC15’s reporting adds what happened beyond the shoe exchange. Roy was using a walker, and Hope gave him his size 13 Nike slides before following him into the drugstore.
Inside, he helped Roy collect a prescription and bought him peanut M&Ms. He arranged a rideshare, then followed it to Roy’s house to make sure he got inside safely. Hope learned that Roy, whom the station identified as 80, had recently lost his wife.
ABC15 also spoke with Roy by phone. He expressed gratitude for the friendship and explained that asking for help was difficult for him.
Room for More
Hope plans to share meals and attend church with Roy.
“He’s trying to do things on his own and I’m going to let him do it,” he said.
His GoFundMe campaign, created October 7, displayed more than $19,000 when checked for this article. Hope writes that he intends to surprise Roy with cash for groceries, medicine and transportation.