9-Year-Old Black Boy Rewarded After Giving Money to a Man He Thought Was Homeless

Nationwide — In a touching encounter in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Kelvin Ellis Jr., a 9-year-old boy, approached a man outside a coffee shop and handed him a dollar, believing him to be homeless. Little did he know, the man was actually Matt Busbice, a 42-year-old businessman and owner of a sporting goods store.

Matt recalled the moment vividly, he told CBS News. One morning, Matt was surprised by a fire alarm in his condo complex. After realizing it was a false alarm, he decided to grab coffee despite his disheveled appearance.

As he approached the coffee shop, Matt paused for a moment of prayer outside. In that moment caught by a security camera, Kelvin approached him with a clenched fist.

Expecting a confrontation, Matt was surprised when Kelvin opened his fist to reveal a single dollar bill, saying, “‘If you’re homeless, here’s a dollar.'” Kelvin explained that he had earned the dollar for good grades and wanted to help someone in need.

Touched by the gesture, Matt invited Kelvin in for a snack and later connected with Kelvin’s father, promising to stay in touch.

“I haven’t had that much faith in humanity in a very long time,” Matt said,

To express his gratitude, Matt treated Kelvin to a shopping spree at BuckFeather, his store, allowing him to choose anything he wanted, including a new bike.

“Joy, because I helped someone,” Kelvin said. “Give something away, and you feel like you’ve got a lot of things from it.”

“If you give, you’re actually going to get more out of that,” Matt said. “I couldn’t grasp that as a kid. And if we can spread that around, everything changes.”