A Moncton water delivery man’s apparent random act of kindness caught on a dash cam video is making the rounds on social media.
But it turns out the act wasn’t random at all.
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Brian Morin works on a pretty tight schedule delivering spring water to customers across southeastern New Brunswick. He is paid commission, by the bottle, so time is quite literally money.
But that didn’t stop him from taking the time out of his shift on Monday to stop and give a homeless woman in a wheelchair two bottles of water.
“It’s that spur of the moment decision that you just look at someone and you see they are in need,” Morin said.
What Morin didn’t know is that his act of kindness was captured on Moncton’s Wade Perry’s dashcam.
“I am sure this woman was probably invisible to many, but this man saw her struggling” Perry said.
He posted the video online hoping to share the gesture with others.
“At the time, I thought how such a small gesture of kindness was such a large piece of happiness in this woman’s day,” Perry said.
Morin said he regularly hands out water to people in need, especially given the growing problems with homelessness in Moncton.
“It is part of my job, so why not given them something that I know they are going to use” said Morin who added that he didn’t do it for any kind of recognition.
When out on his deliveries he said that he often passes by people living on the streets and it breaks his heart.
“You can’t really know their experience and what they go through – everybody has a different story. Sometimes you think they don’t want to work or they are on drugs” Morin said.
No matter the circumstances, Morin said he’s come to discover that every one can use support.
“This could be me one day, you know. This could happen to any of us.”
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Janice Sherwood, one of Morin’s customers, says the act is amazing.
“Just for a regular guy that comes in and delivers our water and he is giving out to the homeless, that is pretty decent of him” Sherwood said.
Morin doesn’t know the name of the woman he helped, but he said he does wonder how she is coping, living on the streets.
“I never caught her name – I mean I was doing my deliveries and I just gave her the water and got many thanks you and then I left and moved on.”
Global News tracked the woman down in Moncton. Brenda Smith said the night before she was given the water she slept on the sidewalk out in the cold.
“I have been homeless sleeping on the street,” Smith said, adding the bottle of water quenched more than her thirst.
“It made me feel good – made my day.”