10-year-old boy asked Subway staff if his $5 bill could afford one sandwich. Minutes later, he was giving every dollar away

A random act of kindness is the positive version of contagion that spreads like light and ends up illuminating the world around. Liz Blute (@lizmblute) witnessed a similar instance when she saw a 10-year-old struggling to afford a Subway sandwich. Before she could intervene, a lady ahead of the little boy turned around and did something incredibly wholesome for him. Overwhelmed, the boy decided to use his last $5 to tip the restaurant. The story, shared on June 5, 2026, has received over 28,000 likes on Threads. 

Dominoes of kindness

According to Blute’s description, the kid was about 10 years old. He walked into the Subway and said that he was having trouble figuring out how much a sandwich costs. He only had $5, which was way less than what a sandwich cost. Before Blute could interfere, a woman ahead of the little boy in the queue paused her transaction and added his sandwich to her bill. The moment triggered a wave of kindness that branched out from three people. While the woman paid for the kid’s sandwich, the cashier gave her a discount, and the kid tipped all his coins to the restaurant employees. “Some of my faith in humanity has been restored,” Blute said, adding that she couldn’t hold back her smile when she witnessed the scene.

Kindness breeds happiness

This series of kind acts was random, but according to research, this is exactly how kindness works. A study published in PLOS One called it “generalized reciprocity.” Researchers found that if a person has benefited from an act of kindness, there is a 7-fold increase in the probability that they will pay it forward with another act of kindness. 

Studies have also shown that sharing kindness with others increases one’s own happiness. For instance, the World Happiness Report revealed that sharing one meal per week is associated with an average increase of roughly 0.2 points in happiness on a scale from 0 to 10. In another study, Professor Sonja Lyubomirsky asked UC Riverside students to perform five random acts of kindness each week for six weeks. She found that those who engaged in acts of kindness showed a 42% increase in happiness, according to Forbes.

Readers respond with their own stories

Meanwhile, in response to the wholesome story, readers shared similar acts of kindness they encountered. For instance, @munoz_78 commented, "I was having a really bad day and decided to treat myself to a manicure the other day, and started chatting with an older woman about life in general. Lots in common, we decide I deserve a pedicure... and part ways. When I went to pay, she had paid for my pedicure before leaving. I legit cried." Whereas @merlingogringo joked, "9-year-old me figured out that if you do the whole 'I don't know how many fries you can afford with this many coins' bit, you could usually walk out of McDonald's with a big-ass bag of fries along with your actual order. I was McLovin' it."

You can follow Liz Blute (@lizmblute) on Instagram for more relatable stories.

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