Man Seen Handing Out Money at Florida Waffle House Has Given Strangers a Total of $13,000

Kevin Cate

Kevin Cate was at a Waffle House in Midway, Florida, recently when he spotted a customer doing something strange. The man was sitting in a booth by himself and packaging cash with handwritten notes.

Cate, a political writer and filmmaker, asked him what he was doing. The unidentified man explained that he's been handing out money (in the form of one and five dollar bills) to strangers since 2014. So far he's given away more than $13,000 to random people he meets at Waffle House and elsewhere.

The money comes with little notes that say "love every body," the last three words his mother said to him.

"She didn't say 'I love you,' she said 'love every body.' So that's what I'm doing. Loving every body."

Cate chronicled the interaction on Twitter in a series of now-viral tweets encouraging people to share their own stories of "love every body."

"This is so important now," one person responded. "Thanks for his lovely example."

"Wow you have no idea how much I needed to read this," another chimed in. "So much time spent doom scrolling on Twitter and feeling so sad and helpless about life. I forget the joy I have felt from helping those in need. This is what I need to be putting my energy into, spreading love and kindness."

The tweet has raked in more than 10,000 shares and 60,000 likes since Saturday.

"While he was alone, clearly his mom's love is still with him and now all of us," Cate concluded.