Man buying pizzas for the homeless is stunned after realizing pizzeria worker was someone he once helped

According to the World Happiness Report, released on International Happiness Day, 70 percent of people did one kind thing in February 2025. Even more telling is a landmark report published by the University of Sussex, which found that two-thirds of the participants in the world's largest study of kindness believed that COVID-19 has made people more kind. The study showed people who talked to strangers reported seeing and receiving more kindness—suggesting that simple social contact can foster generosity and goodwill. We can see a great testament to these reports in a video shared by Instagram’s famous Philanthropist, Josh Liljenquist.

It was a regular day for Josh, at Eastside Pizzeria in St. Paul, who goes by @joshlilj on Instagram. As part of his usual content series, he visits local businesses, cracks light-hearted jokes, and donates food to those in need. This time, he teased the owner about ordering “a thousand pizzas to go.” “Don’t be a Richard, dude, that’s a lot of pizza,” the owner laughed, playing along. Eventually, Josh settled on ten pizzas for a quick delivery. But what started as a routine act of giving took a heartfelt turn when the owner asked Josh to meet someone in the back. “Hey, I gotta introduce you to somebody. He’s got a great testimony,” the owner said, before calling over a young man named Mikey.

Mikey stepped forward and introduced himself, “This is Mikey.” “You dropped some food back at our shelter three months ago,” he told Josh. “And now, I’m working here to get my life back.” Josh, momentarily stunned, said, “No way. Let’s go! I’m proud of you, dude!” Josh’s videos fall under the kindness category of content creation where you see a creator helping strangers with food, and sometimes also with money. A growing number of creators make content under this social media category; however, what sets Josh apart is his relationship with the local small businesses. Not only does he try to serve the homeless community, he also ensures that the marginable profit goes to small business owners who are faltering before multimiliion dollar fast food chains.

Scrolling his Instagram page, we can see how he buys food from local outlets, placing their business among millions of followers. His video from Eastside Pizzeria resonated with thousands, garnering 95.5k likes and over 350 comments. Josh asked Mickey, “Did my coming down there and bringing food impact you in any way?” “Yeah," he said, "I was going through a dark time in my life, and at the time it had, actually, a much bigger impact. Because I was about to make a very poor decision that day and you handed me a pizza, which changed the whole course of my life."

Inspired by his words, Josh hugged him and affirmed that he is loved by people. The video further featured him sharing pizzas with the homeless. A bunch of people hailed the pizza philanthropy online. “Seeing the works of your actions is the best satisfaction when it’s good and life-changing news,” commented @iminslowmotionllc, while @bawsemanpig wrote, “This is what it’s all about. Everyone is going to need help at some point in life.”

Another user wrote, @kellyann_73 “Let’s GO!! Love the testimony that was shared. Pizza on a rainy day brings the smiles and warmth within." Some also advised the 27-year-old influencer, as @pureclassy_617 wrote, "As you grow, always remember the unfortunate that are going through hard times in life! Give back to others and keep going strong! God is real!"

This unique reunion between Josh and Mikey mirrors a global awakening. During the pandemic, millions were faced with isolation, loneliness and depression. People realized how important mutual support is to our survival. The University of Sussex conducted a Kindness Test on more than 60,000 people from across 144 different countries, whose age ranged from 18 to 99. They find out that the home, medical settings, the workplace, green spaces, and shops were selected as the places where people are most likely to see kind acts taking place.

You can catch more such content on Josh Liljenquist page, follow @joshlilj on Instagram