One day Danielle MacDuff, a Canadian from Newcastle, Ontario, saw a homeless man outside a pharmacy. He was reading a book, and people passing by were giving him money.
Danielle decided to talk to the homeless man. As it turned out, the man’s name was Brian Bannister, and he was 60 years old. He’s a recovered alcoholic. Lost two wives. One died in an accident and the other died of cancer. The last two years have been especially hard, he didn’t get his hopes up. Lives in a barn.
After the conversation, Danielle offered the man a job on a farm. “The job offer stunned me. It just went from her heart, I thank her every day,” Brian said.
At the farm, Brian and Danielle, and the other workers clean the stalls, carry hay, and care for the animals. There are 200 animals on the farm, including goats, cows, horses, and dogs.
Danielle cut Brian’s hair. For the first time in two years, he shaved. The woman gave the man a cell phone and helped him gain access to financial aid from the province.
“He is very kind. He’s great with my kids and the animals. We really appreciate his help on the farm,” Danielle said. “He just got into a difficult situation.”
Danielle organized a fundraiser for Brian on the GoFundMe platform.
“I really want to raise enough money so Brian can get a nice warm place to live. He’s been living in a cold barn. So far we’ve rented a hotel for him for two days. Help is urgently needed,” she wrote.
They raised 10,810 Canadian dollars for housing and clothing. Brian was touched by people’s support. “I’m amazed. I can’t believe someone cares about me like that,” the man said.
“This incident also affected my life. My only wish is to help people who are homeless. But to do that, you have to bring a lot of people together. That’s what helped Brian. I think that’s why we were able to solve his problems in a short time,” Danielle shared.
