by Stacy Jackson
May 6, 2024
The boy’s kind gesture earned him a surprise shopping spree from the man who owns BuckFeather sporting goods store in Baton Rouge.
In a heartwarming encounter, 9-year-old Kelvin Ellis Jr. from Louisiana scored himself a surprise shopping spree after he mistook a successful businessman, Matt Busbice, for a homeless man and offered him a dollar out of sheer kindness.
The incident unfolded when Busbice, the 42-year-old owner of BuckFeather sporting goods store owner, visited a local coffee shop after evacuating his condo due to a fire alarm. Dressed in mismatched clothes, he stepped onto the shop’s patio to perform his morning prayer, CBS News reported. Busbice recounted, “I started to slowly open my eyes, and there’s a kid coming at me, about my height.”
Initially bracing for a confrontation when he saw the boy’s clenched fist, he was instead touched by the young boy’s kind gesture. “‘If you’re homeless, here’s a dollar,’” Ellis Jr. recalled telling Busbice. “I always wanted to help a homeless person, and I finally had the opportunity.”
The young boy’s handy dollar was a reward for getting good grades, and he proudly offered his only money to someone he thought needed it more. Moved by the act of kindness, Busbice connected with the boy’s father and invited Ellis into the shop for a snack. Busbice also treated the child to a 40-second shopping spree at his BuckFeather store, allowing the boy to pick out whatever he wanted. Ellis Jr.’s shopping surprise included a new bike. While Ellis enjoyed the experience, he admitted that it definitely wasn’t what he expected for his dollar.
Busbice, who has built and sold several outdoor companies worth hundreds of millions alongside partners, expressed his renewed faith in humanity, stating, “I haven’t had that much faith in humanity in a very long time.”
The businessman shared the story of his unexpected friendship with the kindhearted boy on social media, where followers were delighted to learn of the encounter and amazed at God’s divine timing.
The businessman promised his new young friend that he would stay in touch.
