The incredible kindness of a retired Irishman is taking the internet by storm after the volunteer group he prepares meals for shared his story on Facebook.
The unsung hero was short of a ride to Dublin city center to deliver 50 dinners to people living on the streets when he found himself shot into the internet limelight for his noble actions.
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Brian Birkett volunteers with the organization “A Lending Hand”, gathering on the steps of Central Bank in Dublin every Monday night to distribute urgent food and supplies to the shocking numbers of homeless now living in Ireland’s capital city.
Not yet registered as a charity, the group pays for the food and supplies out of its own pocket, with Birkett preparing 50 4-in-1s (an Irish takeaway meal consisting of rice, fries, chicken balls, and curry sauce) that he transports from Ballyfermot every week.
This Monday, however, he was left without a way into town and so the group posted on Facebook looking for a hand.
“So this gent who is retired, makes our homeless pals over 50 4-1 chicken curry rice and chips every Monday night,” they wrote.
“Tonight he’s stuck for a lift from Ballyfermot to Dame Street and back, would any of you lovely people be able to help him out?”
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They immediately received a wave of offers and Gala Cabs brought Birkett and his curries to meet the others but the story did not stop there. Many people were very taken with the heartwarming story of a man digging into his own funds to help those lesser off and as well as the post itself receiving hundreds of likes, Birkett’s story has gone viral on Reddit and Imgur, receiving comments from all over the world.
Captioned “Need more people like Brian,” the Imgur post alone has been viewed over 300,000 times.
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“We all cook every Monday night from our homes and make sandwiches, collect clothes, toiletries, and sleeping bags. It all comes out of our own pockets as we are not registered. We are not allowed to take cash, only vouchers,” Keira from A Lending Hand told DailyEdge.ie.
“Brian comes into town every Monday and drops his curries off to us and we serve the people of Dublin in need. He’s a good friend – we all are, we’re like a family now.”
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You can find out more about A Lending Hand here.
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