Genuine kindness always pays off. That was certainly the case for one Louisiana supermarket worker who last week patiently helped a customer with autism.
Jack Ryan Edwards, 17, was shopping with his father at Rouse’s Market in Baton Rouge when he saw 20-year-old Jordan Taylor, the grocery clerk, stocking the shelves of a cooler with containers of milk and juice.
When Taylor noticed Edwards watching him, the employee asked the teenage customer if he wanted to help. Edwards immediately jumped at the chance and his father videotaped the entire exchange, which lasted about half an hour, according to Edwards’ sister, Delaney Alwosaibi.
“We all know autism makes going out difficult, and sometimes grocery stores can be a challenge,” she wrote. “This young man took the time to slow down and allow Jack Ryan to help for over 30 minutes, guiding him as he finished his task.”
Alwosaibi described Taylor as a “stand-up young man.”
In the wake of the selfless gesture, she set up a GoFundMe page for Taylor, who wants to go to college. Taylor told Alwosaibi he really likes math and might want to become a teacher.
So far, the page has raised more than $113,000 — and the donations are still coming in.
“He could have ignored him. He could have made an excuse and said he couldn’t allow him to help,” Alwosaibi wrote. “Instead, he let him have his moment and in turn gave my family a moment we will never forget.”
Following all the attention Taylor has received, another good Samaritan set up a GoFundMe page for the Edwards family, “as they continue to provide ongoing care for two Autistic, adult children, Jack Ryan who is seventeen and Chase who is twenty-six.”
That page has raised more than $4,000 so far.