An East Grand Forks restaurant owner’s act of kindness to a stranger in need

EAST GRAND FORKS, M.N. (Valley News Live) - An East Grand Forks restaurant owner’s act of kindness has made a lasting impact.

“He was coming in and just cleaning up in the bathroom and you could tell he was cold,” says Joe’s Diner owner Joe Bushaw.

Last week, Bushaw noticed a man started coming in to clean up in the diner’s bathroom

“He left and I told one of my employees to go ask him if he wants something to eat. He came back in and got something to eat and I found out he was homeless and didn’t have a job. So, I offered him a job,” says the diner owner.

The man told Bushaw that all of the homeless shelters were full for the night, and he had nowhere to go.

“I asked if he wanted a hotel room and brought him to the hotel and got him a hotel room for the night,” he says.

One of Bushaw’s other employees posted about his act on Facebook where it got attention from others in the community.

“It has been really crazy lately. It honestly saddens me the amount of feedback I’ve gotten from it. It shouldn’t be that big of a deal,” says Bushaw.

Bushaw says he thinks these acts of kindness should be happening more often.

“People need our help and at some point you might need help and you don’t know when that’s going to be. I’ve gotten my fair share of help, and now it’s my time to return it,” he says.