None of us saw the C*********s coming. Before I even heard about it for the first time, I was in the middle of enjoying the holiday season, as were most of the rest of us. Never did any of us think the virus would become so widespread so quickly and have such a major impact on all of our everyday lives. It’s not easy at all, physically or mentally, and certainly more so for the ones who have been temporarily laid off and/or are currently struggling to find work because of the virus.
Fortunately, there are selfless people like 62-year-old Australian cafe owner, Pete Darmos, who have been risking their own finances to help make others’ lives financially easier.
Despite having to shut down his Melbourne restaurant in the meantime, Darmos withdrew $10,000 of his own personal money from his bank account, so he could pass out $100 bills to 100 random, unemployed people.
“I started at the back of the queue and then basically handed everybody a $100 note,” he said to 7NEWS. “There were tears and disbelief. $100 is not a lot of money, but four or five bags of food meant a lot to these people.”
For many people, $100 can be stretched far if they use it right. From paying the electricity bill to putting food on the table, there really is a lot you can do with even a “smaller” sum of money. Just the fact that Darmos felt compelled to use his hard-earned cash to make strangers live a little more comfortable life says a lot about his character.
But like many heroes, Darmos initially didn’t want his good deed to be published to the public. The plan was to keep hush-hush. However, after realizing how many other people it could inspire to do something similar, he figured it would be best that his story was shared. Plus, hearing positive news like this gives all of us hope that there are still kind, considerate people out there, even during the C*********s.
Now, people are referring to him as “Generous Pete,” a nickname well-suited for him!
Since his deed has hit the Web, people have been praising him non-stop.
“When he started shaking his head ‘no’ after being called a legend, that’s when you can tell he didn’t do it for the publicity. This is what helping your fellow humans looks like. Thank you, Pete,” someone commented after watching Pete during an Interview with 7NEWS Australia.
You can listen to the interview with Pete below.