The kindness of strangers is a real thing.

One time I was sitting in the waiting room of a mechanic shop and one of the workers told an old woman that it was going to be about $2,500 to fix all the problems with her car. The look on her face said it all. She said she couldn’t afford that and would have to leave without having any repairs done.

Another customer who overheard the conversation stepped in and told the mechanic to make the repairs and put it on his bill, no questions asked. The woman initially refused but the man told her not to worry about it and that if she was ever in a position to help someone out, to pay it forward.

I have to admit that exchange restored my faith in humanity a little bit.

Here are some heartwarming stories from AskReddit users about the kindness of strangers.

1. This is a nice story.

“I was totally down on my luck living out of a hotel, I did have a job but not enough money to stay there until my check came.

A friend of mine bought me lunch and was telling that they couldn’t help with much but this is what they had, which was $300 short.

I guess we had talked about it but I don’t remember. The next thing I know this guy at the next table is leaving and he tells me not to go until he comes back.

His girlfriend / wife stayed behind even though they had paid the bill. He was back in a few minutes and he hands me $300.

I asked him for his contact info and said he didn’t want it back and to keep working to stay off the streets. The man literally stopped my mom and I from becoming homeless.

I still have a job and I am in a nice apartment now but I will always remember that man’s generosity. I have tried to help other people as much as I can to pay him back in some way.

Thanks for the question. It reminded me of one man’s generosity of spirit and kindness and I think we all need that right now.”

2. Thanks, stranger.

“A stranger bought myself and my ex dinner on Valentine’s Day and the waitress said he was so happy to do it. I guess he was a widower , and doing a kind thing was enough to keep him happy through tough times.

Thank you stranger.”

3. Back on your feet.

“I was homeless, was thirsty and hungry. I walked into this Fast food place at 2 am and sat my bag down. I was dirty and smelled horrible, I asked him if he had anything I could buy for a dollar and he said that anything on the menu I wanted.

I told him but all I had was a dollar. he said if I gave him the dollar he would cover the rest of the price. I gave him the dollar and got a double cheeseburger and some fries and a large drink.

When he gave me the order I went to the table sat down and when I opened the bag there was a 50 dollar bill inside of it with a note saying that he hopes it will help me and he hopes I am able to get back on my feet soon and wished me the best in life. it actually brought tears to my eyes.”

4. A tough day made better.

“I was 18 and living away from home for the first time (from the UK, moved to Canada). I couldn’t afford much so I’d walked two miles through the snow to buy bedding in a discount shop and was having a miserable day. The woman in front of me in the cashier queue put $50 on a store voucher card, handed it to me and walked away before I had a chance to react.

In the middle of a tough day, it really made a difference. Definitely the most memorable random act of kindness I’ve ever experienced.”

5. Bike crash.

“When I was in Middle School, I crashed my bike in front of the supermarket. It wasn’t bad, but I was shaken up.

An older lady pulled over and picked me up and took me back to my home. I don’t remember her name. It was so sweet.”

6. Really struggling.

“I was struggling through college, had maybe $30 in my account and REALLY needed gas (I commuted 25 miles to campus every day). I pull in and it’s full, but a guy waves me down to pull in behind him. He says “hey I bought more than I needed so there’s about $10 of gas still on there.”

I almost started crying, because that got me almost four gallons of gas. It really helped me out in a bad time, and I’m forever grateful.”

7. A nice gesture.

“Some old couple gave my son 50,000 tickets at the arcade.

The husband was dying, this was their last trip, and had been collecting tickets for over 10 years.”

8. This is always so hard.

“Last year, we had to take our dog of 17 years to the vet to be put to sleep. It is a small office, so I am sure our bawling was easily heard from our room as we sat with her in final moments.

As we were leaving, we had a nice conversation with a lady that happened to be picking up her dog. She offered her condolences, and the vet said I could just come back tomorrow to pay our bill.

I called the next day to find out how much I owed and found out that nice lady had paid our bill for us. That is easily the nicest thing a stranger has done for me.”

9. Down on your luck.

“When I was homeless and living in my truck my truck broke down.

There was a guy who lived in a house across the street from where my truck broke down and he came out and helped me figure out that the alternator had died, took me to the auto parts store paid for my new alternator and they said that it would be the next day before it would get in.

He offered to let me spend the night at his house with his family and I got to shower and a good meal and a place to sleep and the next day he took me back to the auto parts store to pick up the alternator helped me install it and gave me a little bit of cash to send me on my way.

He’s a good dude and I hope everything’s still going great for him.”

10. Fix that flat.

“When I was 19, had a flat tire and a kind stranger and his daughter were walking past and the dad stopped to changed my flat without any hesitation. After that, I asked my dad to teach me and have helped people change their tire.”

11. Wow! That is awesome!

“An old lady I met on an Amtrak train when I was ten years old found out I was interested in coins. She asked me for my address and promised to send me “a couple books.”

A few weeks later, a big package arrived on my doorstep. Inside was her entire coin collection, most of it carefully cataloged and arranged in coin books.

Thanks, Connie, I still think of this!”

12. This guy is a hero.

“It was 1993 and I was a broke 18 yo college girl with crappy tires on my car. Driving on the interstate and had a blowout. No cell phone, no cash on hand and several miles away from help. So there I am standing next to my car with no idea what to do and this big, junky car pulls over.

Guy whose physical appearance matches his car perfectly gets out and asks if I need some help. I told him no, I’m fine. Even though I definitely was not. He told me to pop my trunk. I wanted him to go away because I was nervous, but popped the trunk anyway.

The things I can’t help but remember (and it makes me smile) was that 1) his T-shirt was too short to cover his belly, which hung over the waistband of his shorts and 2) He unwrapped a Snickers bar and proceeded to eat it one bite.

Pulls my spare tire and jack out of the trunk. Changes my tire in a matter of seconds, tells me I’m “good to go,” and drives away. No bravado. No introduction, no goodbye. I was stunned.

This goes out to all the big, sloppy looking, clunker-driving, Snickers bar-eating guardian angels out there. You are the real heroes.”

13. During a tough time.

“About 20 years ago I was flying standby to my hometown because my brother had died (suicide). I was 5th or 6th on the list. I was a mess but didn’t say why I was flying to anyone.

When the first guy on the list got called he went up to the gate agent and told her that I obviously needed to get on that flight before anyone else on the standby list & she agreed and called me to get on the plane. I often think about this kind man & hope he’s been living the good life he deserves.”

14. You forgot something.

“About 4 years ago, my family and I were on a roadtrip to Florida. At the Mississippi/Alabama state line, we got out to take pictures at the sign, like families and tourists tend to do. Spent about 5 minutes there, exchanged some pleasantries with a father-son duo doing the same thing, then went on our way.

15 minutes later on the highway, we’re just casually chatting in the car, when we hear a honk coming from behind us. I look over, and it’s a massive, white truck. It’s the father and son. And the son is waving MY PHONE. Apparently, I had dropped it at the sign. We both quickly pull over, and I get my phone back.

What amazes me is that they caught up to us at all. We were going 70-80 and had a good head start on them. That means they were on a MISSION to get my phone back to me and gunning it.

The best part about it all? It was Christmas Day, so I’ll always consider their kind actions as one of my favorite Christmas presents.”

15. Enjoy the show!

“I work at a theater box office that has Broadway performances. Hamilton was premiering for the week and employees were not allowed to get tickets unless they payed for one and even with the minor discount it was expensive.

As a college student, I could not afford it at all and it was my dream to watch it. I was a huge Hamilton fan since it first began.

On the very last day of the show, A lady goes up to my ticket window and asks me “Have you seen the show and do you know if it’s worth it?”

“No but I for sure know it’s worth it! It’s been sold out and very popular”

“Here, my daughter couldn’t come, you can have her ticket”

It was a $550 ticket in the third row center of the theater. I am beyond bless and i will not forget how kind this stranger was

My manager (not a stranger) was also so kind to cover my ticket window and let me leave early to see the show.”

16. I think I’m gonna cry.

“My dad and I were driving to our vacation spot with two cat carriers in the backseat. Someone on the highway stopped for no reason and caused a chain reaction. We were the third car in the line- everyone was fine, but our car’s hood was completely smashed in and it wasn’t drivable. We managed to limp it off the highway to a Home Depot and waited there for AAA.

This was in the middle of the Jersey summer and AAA said it would be at least a few hours. I was getting very worried about the cats. The Home Depot let me bring them inside, so I ended up sitting in the front of the store with a double stack of cat carriers. I must have looked really pathetic because a couple with a teenager son stopped to ask if I was okay.

Once they heard we were stranded they took complete charge. They got us food and drove us AND the cats to the local airport to rent a car. We were all crammed into their tiny car with big, bulky carriers on our laps. They were so unbelievably kind and refused to leave until we had our rental car.

Edited to add this is why you should always secure your pet carriers in place with seat belts and get the most secure ones you can afford. The cats came through the whole experience just fine, but it could have been much worse if they hadn’t been strapped down.”

Those stories put me in a much better mood.

Has anything like this happened to you or maybe you saw it happen to someone else?

Share your stories with us in the comments.