Homeless man helps woman change tire in the early hours – using the last of his money

A homeless man sleeping rough through freezing winter temperatures has warmed the hearts of strangers in Louisiana after he was photographed helping a woman change a tire in the early hours of the morning – and spending the last of his money to fill it up with air.

The incredible act of kindness was witnessed by Scott Landry at 2:45 am Monday, who happened to stop at the RaceTrac gas station on Louisiana Avenue in Lafayette to get coffee when he noticed 61-year-old Randy Head changing a tire.

Noting how cold it was outside and realizing he had better tools for the job in his car, Scott approached Randy and asked if he needed any assistance – and the interaction that followed would go on to change Scott’s perspective entirely.

‘The first thing that came to my mind was, “They’re having a worse night than me,” and so that’s when I offered to help,’ Landry told the Acadiana Advocate. ‘Here I am feeling sorry for myself because I can’t get my coffee … and here’s this guy that’s homeless, has got nowhere to sleep and is paying out of his pocket to help this girl.

‘It just made my problems seem a lot smaller. It just gave me perspective on what was going on.’

A homeless man (left) sleeping rough through freezing winter temperatures has warmed the hearts of strangers in Louisiana after he was photographed helping a woman change a tire in the early hours of the morning

Randy Head (above) also paid to fill up the woman's spare tire with the last of the change in his pocket

Randy Head (above) also paid to fill up the woman’s spare tire with the last of the change in his pocket

The incredible act of kindness was witnessed by Scott Landry (right) at 2:45 am Monday, who happened to stop at the RaceTrac gas station on Louisiana Avenue in Lafayette to get coffee when he noticed Randy Head changing the tire

The incredible act of kindness was witnessed by Scott Landry (right) at 2:45 am Monday, who happened to stop at the RaceTrac gas station on Louisiana Avenue in Lafayette to get coffee when he noticed Randy Head changing the tire

As he made his way towards Randy, Scott quickly realized he was not the owner of the car, rather the bicycle next to it, and he was actually helping a young girl in a desperate moment of need.

He watched on in awe as Randy, who lives in a tent in a wooded area behind the store, used the last of the money in his pocket to air up the young woman’s spare tire.

But speaking to DailyMail.com, Randy inisted there’s ‘nothing amazing’ about what he did, it was simply ‘the decent thing to do’.

‘I haven’t cured cancer. I’m not Superman. I just changed a tire; I was simply helping out another in need,’ he said. 

Speaking to DailyMail.com, Randy inisted there's 'nothing amazing' about what he did, it was simply 'the decent thing to do'

Speaking to DailyMail.com, Randy inisted there’s ‘nothing amazing’ about what he did, it was simply ‘the decent thing to do’

Randy, who has four children, says he was cycling towards Racetrac when he saw a red SUV driving towards the garage slowly, followed by a hoarse sound he knew was being caused a flat tire.

‘I just pulled up alongside her, smiled and said, “Do you need help?” She responded that she did, so I got to work,’ Randy recalled. 

The 61-year-old says he immediately thought of his daughters he noticed the female driver got out from her car, and how he hoped someone would help them if they were stranded without hope in the early hours.

Having worked in hard labour for more than three decades before becoming homeless last year, Randy said he was all too happy to get his hands dirty once again.  

The woman offered him $20 for his help, but Randy politely refused the money.

‘I never go hungry. I have the money I need to survive,’ he told DailyMail.com ‘Helping this woman and dozens others like her is just a part of my everyday life. The real hero in this story is Scott.’

Scott shared the encounter on Facebook, along with two pictures of Randy helping the woman. 

Scott shared the encounter on Facebook, along with two pictures of Randy helping the woman.

Scott shared the encounter on Facebook, along with two pictures of Randy helping the woman.

As he made his way towards Randy, Scott quickly realized he was not the owner of the car, rather the bicycle next to it, and he was actually helping a young girl in a desperate moment of need

As he made his way towards Randy, Scott quickly realized he was not the owner of the car, rather the bicycle next to it, and he was actually helping a young girl in a desperate moment of need

‘I chit chat with him as he is paying to fill the ladies tire up and I ask him if he lives around there,’ Scott recalls in the post. ‘He says he lives in a tent in the woods behind the store.

‘Just to recap, an old white homeless man on a bike was paying out of his own pocket to air up and change the tire of a young black girl. The world ain’t all bad.’

The post has since been shared nearly 3,000 times. Strangers who saw Scott’s post reached out to him and asked how they could pay Randy back for his incredible kindness.

Scott sought out Randy the following day and asked him what he wanted. Randy responded that he wouldn’t mind somewhere to escape from the cold and windy weather.

Granting his wish, Scott booked Randy a room at the Red Roof Inn for a stay of five nights, borrowing the cash from his Aunt to fulfil the request.

Randy spoke to DailyMail.com from the comfort of his motel room. In addition to getting out of the cold, Randy said he was grateful to ‘be able to have a hot shower, sleep in a warm bed, and just watch the evening news.

‘What more could you want?’ he added. 

Scott has since set up a Facebook Fundraiser for Randy as well, which has already raised $1,025 of its $1,500 target after just one day.

Once Scott has repaid the loan to his aunt, he’s giving the rest of the sum to Randy and pledges to help him formulate a long-term housing plan to keep him off the streets for good.

Randy said he received some of the cash yesterday and immediately booked three of his friends, who’re also homeless, into rooms of their own. 

Scott sought out Randy the following day and asked him what he wanted. Randy responded that he wouldn’t mind somewhere to escape from the cold and windy weather. Granting his wish, Scott booked Randy a room at the Red Roof Inn for a stay of five nights, borrowing the cash from his Aunt to fulfil the request

Scott sought out Randy the following day and asked him what he wanted. Randy responded that he wouldn’t mind somewhere to escape from the cold and windy weather. Granting his wish, Scott booked Randy a room at the Red Roof Inn for a stay of five nights, borrowing the cash from his Aunt to fulfil the request

‘It’s a good story that’s more about Scott than me,’ Randy said, refusing to acknowledge the selflessness of his gesture. ‘He’s the one who got the ball rolling. He’s the one who saw what I was doing and thought enough about it to put it on Facebook.’

Randy says he regularly helps others in need, despite having little to his name. 

All of the public attention he’s received  in the days since has been overwhelming, he admitted. 

‘I’m still the same nobody I was before Monday night,’ Randy told DailyMail.com.  ‘But if one good thing can come out of all of this, I hope to re-establish common decency and common respect – because neither of those things are that common anymore.

‘Nothing I did was amazing, it was simply the right thing to do. But the fact everyone is hailing me as some wonderkid is an indictment of the world we’re living in.

‘If a man with nothing can be kind to everyone, imagine what someone with something can do.’ 

Randy said he isn’t sure what he’ll do with the rest of the money just yet. But he hopes he can spend it towards achieving his ‘one wish’ of owning a plot of land in the coming years, where he can run a farm.

‘If I had one wish it would be to have enough money to buy some land, where I can raise animals and  grow crops, so I can feed poor people.

‘I hope I get to spend the rest of my days giving back to people who’re less fortunate than I am. That’s what I hope for.’

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk