We asked members of the BuzzFeed Community to share the nicest things strangers have ever done for them. Here are the heartwarming results.
1. "I have epilepsy, and my seizures are very rare, but pretty scary. Once, I had a seizure in a foreign country and hurt myself badly. I whacked my head and there was blood everywhere. I was alone and completely disoriented. A guy called an ambulance, came with me to the hospital, waited with me, translated for me, and stayed for hours. When I was given the all clear and was feeling more coherent, he got me a taxi and made sure I knew how to get back to my hotel. I barely remember anything about him and didn't even learn his name, but I'm eternally grateful. I really hope I expressed some of my gratitude at the time."
2. "I had a pretty bad meetup with a guy, which left me feeling rejected and sad, so I was having a quiet cry in the back of an Uber. The driver, a fiftysomething guy, asked me what was wrong, and we started talking. A few blocks from my hotel, he asked if he could stop the ride and get me some food. He took me to a food truck, bought me horchata and the best tacos I’ve ever had, and we sat in his car and talked all about life. Not only did he turn my mood around, but he reminded me that kind and good people do exist, and boys who make you cry are not worth your time."
3. "I took my 3-month-old son and went to visit my best friend an hour away. I had barely enough gas to make it there, but she told me she’d fill up my tank. By the end of the day, we both forgot, so I headed home without enough gas to make it back. Finally, when my car told me I had only six miles left, I found a gas station. I had six dollars in quarters, and I figured that was enough to get me home. I had to bring my baby in his car seat into the gas station, and there was a long line. The man behind me was making happy faces at my son and cooing at him, which I shrugged off. Once it was my turn in line, I gave the cashier my quarters, put my kid back in the car, and started filling my tank. The man from the line came out, and started approaching me. I got scared for a second. It turned out he had paid the cashier $25 so I could fill up my car!"
4. "My mom and I went to Canada to celebrate my high school graduation. When we got out of the airport, there was a sweet couple clearly lost and looking for the car rental area. We pointed them in the right direction, and went our separate ways. Turns out, we were all staying at the same bed and breakfast, so we chatted with them during our brunch. The wife was a former teacher and asked what I wanted to do. They were so in awe that we were celebrating my graduation that they proceeded to give me $25 as a 'graduation gift.' It was such a pure act of kindness, and I hope they're doing well."
5. "I was walking to a restaurant in the pouring rain — no jacket or anything. An older gentleman walking a bit ahead of me with an umbrella saw me and asked if he could walk me to my destination (turned out he was headed to the same restaurant). He asked if it was alright first, and said he didn’t want to make me uncomfortable because he had daughters and understood how difficult that sort of situation could be for women. I was so touched by it, and it’s stuck with me forever!"
6. "I was at the grocery store on a hot day with my three kids, and I had promised to buy them frozen pops. They couldn’t agree on the kind they wanted, but I only had enough money to buy one box. I was holding baby necessities in my hands when an older man came over and dropped cash on top of my items. He said, 'They deserve a treat,' then walked away. I couldn’t even hand the cash back because my hands were full with everything else. My kids did a happy dance when they realized they could each have their favorite type of frozen pops."
7. "My twins were born via emergency C-section, so it was pure chaos getting into the OR. In the chaos, my husband realized that he didn’t have a way to take pictures of them when they were born because he'd left his phone with his clothes when he changed into scrubs. One of the nurses saw how upset he was, so she snapped a few pictures of the babies with her phone and texted them to him so we were still able to get pictures right away. Such a small gesture, but they’re pictures that we still cherish."
8. "When I was about 12, my extended family and I were having dinner out somewhere in Alabama. Well, some of the adults ganged up and teased me to the point that I retreated to the ladies room in tears. A few moments later, a lady from another table came in to comfort me. I’ve never been religious, but I was happy to let her pray for me right there in the bathroom. That was more than 30 years ago. I don’t remember where we were eating or even what I was teased about, but I do remember the kind lady in the bathroom."
9. "I’m very forgetful. After a rough day at work, I went to the mall. I was about to pay for something and realized I didn’t have my wallet with me. I knew that I'd had it in my hands when I got out of the car in the parking lot. I rushed back out to my car and found a napkin in the door handle. It was a note saying that I'd left my wallet on top of my car, and they'd put it in on the front tire. Nothing was missing and it made my day! I wish I had a way to say thanks!"
10. "When my brother and I were in elementary school, our eldest brother got hit by a car in front of us, and he and my mom had to be flown to the hospital. Another teenage boy was at the scene, and he went to the hospital with us and took care of my brother and me until my dad got there. I don’t remember much, but I remember him taking us to the play room so my mom could be with my hurt brother."
11. "I was on the subway, and an old woman grabbed me forcefully on my backside and pulled down my skirt. Apparently, I was standing there with the back of my skirt bunched up at my waist and my ass was showing. I was on a dangerous line, so I was forever grateful for that handsy granny."
12. "Before I knew I had severe endometriosis, I'd still try to work through my horrible symptoms. One day, I was halfway to work when I started to feel faint. I took an exit and ended up in a residential area. I parked near a curb and almost passed out. Once I built up some energy, I noticed people decorating a house across the street for a party. I dragged myself to the house. A young man noticed me and helped me into his home, where I asked to be deposited in the bathroom. I laid on the floor until I threw up. A few moments later, a woman knocked on the bathroom door and asked if I was alright. She brought me a glass of water and a towel for my head, then helped me to a couch in the living room. That’s when I noticed she was very pregnant. Her husband and father-in-law were setting up for their baby shower that was happening that day."
13. "Once, after I’d lost my job, I was in line at the Walgreens trying to get my total under a certain amount. After trying for about 20 minutes, the cashier paid for everything, including the things I’d put back. I’d been feeling pretty hopeless, and that gave me a much-needed boost."
14. "My family was stuck at home due to a very sick family member (pre-quarantine), and we were about to run out of groceries. We couldn't leave the house without bringing the sick person with us, and they were very weak. Our neighbor, who we didn’t know very well, heard about our situation and stopped by after work with a big box full of groceries and fresh produce. It was the sweetest, kindest thing anyone could have done for us."
15. "I was a senior in high school and working as a cashier at Walgreens. I had bought my prom dress a few weeks prior. A lady came through the line and was wearing a daisy ring, and the stone perfectly matched the color of my prom dress. I asked her where she got it, so I could buy one for prom. She said she actually found it at a yard sale a few years back, so she wasn't sure where I could find one. I was a little bummed, but it was no big deal. I finished ringing her up and she left. Five minutes later, she came back in, handed me the ring, and said, 'Everyone deserves to feel beautiful at prom. I hope this helps you have a magical night.' She left before I could even ask for her name."
16. "When I was 10, I was in a fairly horrible car accident. My very pregnant cousin was driving, my mom was in the front passenger seat, and I was in the backseat of the van. A car ran a red light and T-boned my mom's side of the car. We spun around, rolled, and smashed into the median so hard that we crushed the cement curbside. Luckily, we were all okay, including the baby, but I was in shock when we got out of the car. I was shaking, and a homeless person came over and gave me their hand warmers. It was December, and they likely needed those more for the days to come than I did."
17. "I took my two young children to the store for the first time by myself. I had a full shopping cart, a newborn strapped to my chest, and a 3-year-old trying to escape into a busy parking lot. Panic must have been written all over my face because a young man in a pickup truck deliberately parked next to my car. He jumped out, offered to load my groceries into my car, helped my daughter into her car seat, and returned my shopping cart to the front of the store. I almost cried with gratitude. He made feel like I could get through one more day!"
18. "My dad and I went on vacation to Florida the summer before my senior year. My dad was super into photography, so he decided he would do my senior pictures for me. We decided to wake up early one morning and head to the beach before sunrise to try and take some pictures as the sun rose. Well, neither my dad nor I are morning people, so we were off to a rough start. On top of that, I’m awkward as hell and don’t know how to pose, so we were bickering. About 30 minutes in, a young woman approached us and asked us what we were doing. I explained, and she revealed that she actually worked with a local modeling agency. She not only offered to help me with poses, but stayed for the next hour to hype me up!"
19. "I was traveling in Spain with my boyfriend when we decided to visit another city for the day. We got back to our Airbnb late that night and realized we locked the keys inside. To top it off, both of our phones were dead. We went to the nearest restaurant and asked for a charger. A lady noticed our despair and asked us what had happened. She offered to let us stay at her place so we had somewhere to shower and sleep. She waited until one of our phones had enough battery to text the Airbnb lady. She even let my boyfriend take her phone with him so he could use the map to meet the Airbnb lady and get another set of keys. She saved us from a very stressful, tiring day, and proved that good people are still out there."
20. "One time, after I had been hospitalized for mental health reasons, I explained during group therapy that my family had purposefully forgotten my birthday. One of the girls in the group brought me a bunch of mini cupcakes and convinced the group to sing 'Happy Birthday' to me, despite my birthday not being for another four months. I think about her every once in a while, and I hope she’s doing well."
21. "I was an active-duty private traveling to my new station in Fort Bliss, Texas, in a crappy 1995 Ford Escort. In the middle of nowhere, the car died. A very kind man and his wife stopped their RV to help me. I didn’t have money for repairs, and was scared I wouldn’t make it to Fort Bliss in time and would be counted AWOL. The man turned out to be a mechanic. He towed my car to his house in Pecos, tinkered with it, and discovered it needed an alternator. It was Sunday and the auto parts store was closed. The man, being a mechanic, knew the owners and called them to open the shop. He bought the alternator for me, installed it, and had me ready to go in a few hours. His wife packed me a dinner to-go and they sent me on my way."
22. And: "I was waiting at my terminal in the airport and couldn't stop sobbing. I was so embarrassed, but so distraught. My dad had berated me the entire drive to the airport, and I couldn’t calm down. I was sitting on the ground crying, and suddenly, a teddy bear was in my face. I looked up, and a complete stranger was holding the bear and smiling. It was a gift shop bear with a lollipop that he had obviously just purchased. He handed it to me and said, 'Hope you feel better,' and walked away. I was so stunned that I stopped crying and actually started smiling. It was beautiful."
Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.