Category: strangers helping strangers

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Jaden Smith Has a Restaurant that Feeds the Homeless for Free

Sometimes I look around and the world seems pretty awful.

But that’s big picture. It’s funny because the song “From a Distance” talks about how if you zoom out far enough, the world looks fine and we’re all just people. No hunger, no war, etc. And that’s fair enough. Mother Earth looks pretty beautiful from Space. But all the bad stuff in the world–war, poverty, pandemics–those are all big things. And it’s easy to get overwhelmed by them.

Sometimes you have to put the big picture stuff on hold, and look for hope in the details. Like teenage Mari Copeny, aka Little Miss Flint trying to solve not only the water crisis in Michigan, but to help kids out in other ways too.

Or young Greta Thunberg inspiring an entire generation to work towards climate change. And don’t forget Boyan Slat who, at the age of 18, began to take on ocean plastic. This generation of young people is AMAZING, and there are so many stories of them that make the future seem a lot brighter.

One example is 22-year-old Jaden Smith, off-spring of LA power couple Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, who is working hard to solve the food crisis in LA. Two years ago, Jaden started a food truck called “The I Love You Restaurant” with a mission of supplying healthy, vegan meals to the homeless on Skid Row for free.

 

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A post shared by I LOVE YOU (@iloveyourestaurant)

The reason behind this act of charity is pretty clear: selfless love for others.

But Jaden didn’t stop there. According to Tank’s Good News:

During the pandemic, Smith found a way to supply care packages to Skid Row that included food, masks, other clothing items, and hand sanitizer.

 

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A post shared by I LOVE YOU (@iloveyourestaurant)

Taking care of those in need is a pretty epic way to exist in the world.

Together with partner Drew FitzGerald, Jaden launched a charity cleverly named 501cthree with a mission centered around “deploying solutions for energy, food, water & shelter.”

They started with a water box to provide clean, filtered water in Little Miss Flint’s domain.

 

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A post shared by 501CTHREE (@501cthree)

Still running the food truck, and popping up in places like the Midnight Mission to scale up their services, Jaden is looking forward to a new endeavor.

 

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A post shared by I LOVE YOU (@iloveyourestaurant)

Next up will be an actual physical dine-in version of the “I Love You Restaurant” food truck, still free for the homeless, but serving the entire community and charging customers who are able to pay, to help fund the endeavor and allow diners to “pay it forward.”

 

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A post shared by I LOVE YOU (@iloveyourestaurant)

What a remarkable young person. The kids really are all right. I can’t wait to see what they do next.

Do you know of an amazing teen or young adult that is going to do big things in the world? Tell us in the comments.

The post Jaden Smith Has a Restaurant that Feeds the Homeless for Free appeared first on UberFacts.

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A New Orleans Bar Sets a New Standard for Dealing with Spiked Drinks

As women, we have to be constantly on our guard, especially out at drinking establishments.

The threat of someone spiking an unattended drink is a fear we can all relate to.

That’s why it’s so heartening to hear a story about people watching out for one another.

Back in April, Reddit user xXSlimi_Gacha009 asked:

Bartenders of reddit, what was the weirdest/craziest thing you have overheard while making someone’s drink? from AskReddit

There were lots of interesting responses, but the story that really stood out came from a user called Pinkyfitts, who was not actually a bartender.

The year was 2007 or 2008. The bar was called Tipitina’s, a venue in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Don’t know if this is common but:

Was sitting at a bar with a band. It was noisy and crowded. Some girl comes up next to where I was sitting and tells the bartender “excuse me, but I just saw that guy ( customer) right there put something in that girl’s drink”. I didn’t see the guy she pointed to. Bartender turns around and said something, I suspect a code word to somebody, and BAM. Immediately all the lights go on, the manager steps on stage, stops the band, and makes the following announcement:

Color me impressed already. I can’t believe they actually stopped the band.

The manager said:

“Attention: We have a report that someone in this room possibly drugged a young ladie’s drink. We request that all women here immediately put down your drink and don’t take another sip. We will replace your drink for free. If you are that young lady, we will notify you when you come to the bar. If anyone is feeling sick or weak please let us know.”

I’m especially pleased to see this response from management.

They not only at the cost of the alcohol, but they sent a signal to their patrons that women were safe and valued, and that antisocial behavior would not be tolerated.

Pinkyfitts goes on to explain:

Wow. Lights stayed on. Band remained off. For a long time, maybe an hour. Cheers from the crowd and nobody complained. Don’t know what the guy did because I didn’t know which guy it was.

That place rocks.

Another bar shared a story how they did it…

Image Credit: Reddit

Like many of the commenters stated, if I lived locally, Tipitina’s would become my new favorite watering hole.

Image Credit: Reddit

And they’d get some BIG tips.

Image Credit: Reddit

Interviewed by Bored Panda, Pinkyfitts tells more of the story:

“The bar is a very old bar in New Orleans, it’s a music venue/bar. It’s loud and hot. It has a ticket entrance, and has some pretty good bands. It’s well known, called Tipitina’s. I have been going there since the late 1980s, so already had an impression of the place. Typical non-French Quarter music venue/bar, more local than touristy. It’s not fancy, but has great music and is usually crowded.”

I will now be telling everyone I know who wants to take in a show in New Orleans to check out this place.

Pinkyfitts also told Bored Panda:

“The bar did not get less crowded, but then there was a charge to get in, and it was clear the band was going to restart, so that may have played a big role. I could not tell which woman’s drink was involved, or which man was suspect as I didn’t see who the witness pointed at. I don’t know if the police were called or a confrontation with the involved people, but that could have easily been out on the sidewalk.”

Although the events in this story occurred shortly after the time of Hurricane Katrina, it’s good to know that the bar is still in business.

And thankfully, Tipitina’s owners appear to have found a way to survive the pandemic, including by streaming some of their shows online.

Even though this is exactly how every bar should behave, it’s really good to hear about it actually happening.

Many Reddit users had similar stories of bartenders to the rescue. What about you? Share your story in the comments.

The post A New Orleans Bar Sets a New Standard for Dealing with Spiked Drinks appeared first on UberFacts.