The pleasure of having lunch in a restaurant for an 8-year-old child has turned into incredible generosity.
Kayzen Hunter has a delicious ritual of going out to eat with his grandfather at the Waffle House.
The boy from Little Rock, Arkansas loves having his favorite food served by his favorite waitress, Devonte Gardner.
“That was about a year ago. My father started going to restaurants and Kayzen would accompany him. At home, he talked about how much he appreciated Devonte,” Vittoria Hunter, Kayzen’s mother, told TODAY.com.
Devonte also appreciates his young client. “Every time I give him a high five because he expects it.” He carefully memorizes what Kayzen likes to eat: scrambled eggs and cheese, no toast, cheese-covered hash browns, and an iced tea soda, the famous Arnold Palmer.
“He’s a wonderful kid. He always tells me jokes. As he enters the restaurant he says to me:❝ Hey, Devonte, I have a joke for you❞ and we laugh,” says the waiter with an infectious smile.
Kayzen’s family used to visit the restaurant almost every weekend and met Devonte who told them about his family, his wife and two little girls aged 2 and 3. The hunters have discovered a wonderful man.
Through their conversations, Kayzen’s family knew that Devonte and her family were going through tough times. The Gardners had left their apartment, which was infested with rats and roaches, full of mold that made his daughters sick, and had no heating. They had taken refuge in a motel. Devonte and her family had lived there for eight months. He also didn’t have a car to get to work.
Kayzen then wanted to help his favorite server. “He came home and said, ❝Mom, Devonte is walking to work, I’m going to start GoFundMe❞,” says Vittoria Hunter. Her son begged her for some time before she agreed.
Kayzen originally wanted to raise enough money for Devonte to get a vehicle to go to the Waffle House.
The child and his mother found $500 and uploaded their message to GoFundMe on February 18. “Help Devonte get a family car,” and Kayzen shared the family man’s story there. The mother-son duo thought they raised $5,000.
GoFundMe didn’t have a huge following initially, but as the story of Kayzen and Devonte became known and publicized, people were more generous. Over $100,000 was quickly raised.
Devonte Gardner can now house his family properly.
“He’s such a positive kid. He has a huge heart. I’m so thankful he came into my life,” says the waiter of his 8-year-old customer.
According to TODAY.com