Teen's act of kindness goes viral

Matthew's kindhearted gesture was noticed by a stranger, who gave him a US$100 note as a reward. Photo / Facebook/Michelle Resendez

When a homeless man walked into the Burger King restaurant where Matthew Resendez worked, the teenager helped him out by buying him a meal.

What happened next was a completely unexpected turn of events that proves how good deeds eventually get rewarded.

In a Facebook post, Matthew's proud mum, Michelle Resendez, said her son was doing a shift at a Burger King restaurant in the US, when a homeless man walked in and asked what he could buy with 50 cents.

"Matthew asked him what he would order if he could and the man said anything would help his hunger pains," she wrote.

So the teenager bought him a hearty meal using his own debit card, handed the man the receipt and told him to relax and take a seat.

Proud mom moment! Matthew worked this evening and a homeless gentlemen walked in the restaurant with .50 cents and...

Posted by Michelle Resendez on Thursday, 9 June 2016

"The story could end there and it would be a happy ending," Resendez wrote.

But unknown to Matthew, a woman in the restaurant had noticed his gesture.

The woman not only wrote to Matthew's employer to tell them about his kind act, she also left him a US$100 note (about NZD $140) as a tip.

"So proud to be his mom and I can pat myself on the back knowing that I've played a part in raising this big hearted young man," Resendez wrote.

The Facebook post has since been shared almost 40,000 times.

-nzherald.co.nz