The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Doughnut shop owner’s viral post sweet for homeless man
SAN DIEGO — In the five years since Brad Keiller opened Nomad Donuts with his surfing buddy Cameron Corley, nearly 1,000 people have written reviews of the shop on the crowd-sourced ratings website Yelp.com. Most have been positive, but a negative 1-star review posted last month prompted a big-hearted response from Keiller and caused some sweet repercussions.
The review dinged Nomad for allowing a homeless man to set up camp along the shop’s west wall for the past year, which “really makes me feel great about spending $5 on a jelly donut.”
“I understand how you feel, it’s not easy to look at,” Keiller wrote back a few days later. “I know I probably lose some business, possibly yours, too, because of my choice not to chase him away, but I won’t. He’s not looking for handouts and he tries not to bother anyone. If you stop and talk to him, maybe you’ll come to like him, too.”
In the weeks since Yelp users began sharing Keiller’s post on social media, the story has gone viral. Keiller has been contacted by friends and strangers from Canada to the Philippines to South Africa. Dozens of new customers visited the shop, and so many asked how they could help that Keiller launched a Gofundme account that has raised more than $2,000 for Ray Taylor.
Taylor, 58, said he’s overwhelmed with gratitude by the response.
“I was shocked by it and a little self-conscious, because I wasn’t sure how people would react. But it’s been great,” he said.
Taylor has been on the streets since 2011, following a series of career and health setbacks that occurred during the recession. Unable to find work, out of money, and with no health insurance to pay for much-needed surgeries, he made the unorthodox decision to become homeless. His plan was to qualify for Social Security disability payments and Medicare to cover his surgeries. Unfortunately, he never got the surgeries. He doesn’t drink or take drugs. He gets by on $6.36 in food stamps a day.
Taylor said his dream is to have an apartment and the surgeries he needs to become more mobile and self-sufficient. In the meantime, he’s hoping to use the GoFundMe money to pay for food and personal needs.