Meet Hero Lady Who Booked Hotel Rooms For 70 Homeless People In Chicago During The Polar Vortex

By Mayukh Saha / Truth Theory

The world is becoming a pretty small place for so many people. It is a well-known fact. Given the population explosion since the early 2000s, there have been acute shortages of places to live for people and not to mention the accompanying poverty. This is because, let’s face it, if you don’t have a decent place to stay, people will not take you seriously. It automatically damns you to a life of worse poverty and lesser rights.

Chicago is one of the places in America where this issue of large swathes of homeless populations is at its worst. And this divide between the rich and poor is only getting worse.

But we won’t dwell on it too much. Instead, let’s celebrate the selfless and generous act of one woman of color, which saved at least seventy lives.

This week, Chicago faced the direct consequence of one of the most gruesome issues facing humanity: global warming. Despite what Republicans are saying over and over again, it is very real and it kills, as has been evidenced in Chicago over the past week.

A whirlpool of sub-zero, polar air, which normally sits safely perched on the North Pole, thanks to warming of the poles, descended onto the American Midwest, plummeting temperatures to unbearable levels. Lakes have frozen and the situation on the streets is no better. The temperature recorded on Thursday was -21 degrees.

Now, you would imagine people are safely indoors with all their heating going on 24×7. Well, not all Chicagoans are so privileged.

About seventy people were stranded without any heating at the Little Italy/University area. These people were homeless individuals who depended on 100 propane-powered tanks for their heat. But sadly, enough their only source of survival was seized by the Fire department because apparently, they posed a fire risk.

Candice Payne, a young woman from Chicago, heard of their plight; in an age when online shopping gives us the endorphins we need, this kind soul “impulsively” bought out about 20 hotel rooms via her American Express credit card.

Yes, you heard that right! In this day and age, when things are never cheap, she did something absolutely self-less, without a second thought of repercussions.

And she did this before asking for donations on Instagram.

Just imagine!

After that, like every time, Salvation Army among other organizations came forward with donations, buying out the original twenty and many more rooms for the entire week.

A man, among the throng saved, named Jermaine, spoke to CBS Chicago saying how people like him never got “that kind of help”. He really needed it and they helped him in the nick of time.

Recent research has shown that giving and spending money on people who need it rather than indulging in luxuries can give people more happiness. It is very easy for the human mind to get used to luxurious cars and a bigger apartment. But, it is not so easy to get used to new experiences, especially such spiritually uplifting experiences of literally saving lives.

Try it sometimes folks. Make the world a little better!

Peace.