Homeless Man Sitting With His Dog In Starbucks Makes Lasting Impression On Man

When Eric Jason Pena visited his local Starbucks to grab a drink, he didn’t know he was going to have an encounter with a homeless man, which would make a lasting impression not only on him, but hundreds of thousands of strangers.

Eric met a homeless man named David and his dog named Legacy on March 21, 2015 at the Starbucks in Tumwater, Washington. He wrote a “simple post” on how meeting David and Legacy affected him and posted it to his Facebook page. It went viral, garnering  over 540,000 likes. It’s David’s pure faith and Eric’s kindness that make this story so special.

Here’s what Eric wrote about meeting David:

“While seated at a Starbucks, a homeless man came in and sat nearby. His scent was unpleasant and people looked at him and rolled their eyes. He was simply doing what we were all doing, drinking coffee and taking advantage of free WIFI. He brought his dog, Legacy, who was well behaved. He proceeded to tell me he walked 60 miles from Seattle to Tumwater over a few day period. He spoke highly of Legacy who in stride, journeyed along with his master every step of the way without complaint.”

As soon as Legacy was told to lay down, he fell asleep. It was sad to see people distance themselves from this homeless man. Kids who inquired about the dog were quickly shielded by their parents and hurried away. He explained most people have no concept of being Christ like because they simply place Christ on the shelf as soon as they leave church.”

“He told me while in Bellevue, WA, 5 well known Seattle Seahawks players walked past him. One of the Seahawks made a rude comment about him being homeless and tried to offer him a $20 bill.”

“The money was declined and that player who claimed to be a Christian was offended. The homeless man told the wealthy Seahawks player that he would not accept money from someone who would belittle him in front of others claiming to be a Christian. Needless to say that player was embarrassed because his friends had witnessed his rude prideful behavior.”

“Later in the evening, I overhead him telling his dog that they would soon find new shoes to continue their journey. The shoes he was wearing were in poor shape. As I was leaving, I offered him a meal which he gladly accepted. I also knew I had a new pair of boots in my storage unit and I asked him if they fit, would accept them. He said yes. After a short drive, I brought him a new pair of boots. He had the biggest smile and told Legacy that their journey would soon continue.”

“He apologized as he took off his socks because they were dirty and falling apart. I asked him if he had any socks and he said what he was wearing was his only pair. Jokingly, he asked if I socks with me. I had just done laundry and had some pairs of new clean white socks in my car. I gave him the socks and he switched out his old shoes for the new boots I gave him. We shook hands and wished each other well. While walking away, I overheard a final conversation between a man and his dog. He simply patted Legacy on the head and said, ‘I told you God was going to take care of us’.”

“Do BIG things for God, one little moment at a time.”

Eric located David and Legacy a few weeks later and set up a GoFundMe page for the pair. What a wonderful man!

Share this life-affirming story with your friends and family!