Sophia Begg made an enormous McDonald's order and then delivered it to charity. Photo / TikTok
Sophia Begg made an enormous McDonald's order and then delivered it to charity. Photo / TikTok
A young model and TikTok influencer has been forced to defend herself against fierce online backlash, after she filmed herself driving to McDonald's and then delivering the order to a homeless shelter.
Sophia Begg shared a clip of the $322.50 takeaway bill on Saturday, before taking the food to homeless charity Will2live.
The 17-year-old said that she was "killing two birds with one stone" because it was McHappy Day — meaning $2 from each of the Big Macs she purchased would be donated to sick children and their families.
"If you haven't already, go support Ronald McDonald House and buy a Big Mac … Shoutout to Will2live who will be giving these to the homeless," she wrote.
But commenters jumped on her case, accusing the teen of using the donation as a means of gaining followers, and asking why she didn't just give the money she'd spent on the food to the charity.
She responded to the backlash in a second video on Sunday, calling the amount of hate she'd gotten for the generous act "incredible".
"I literally can't deal with people sometimes … The amount of hate I've gotten is ridiculous. Everyone is saying that I should've just donated directly and it was a waste," she said in the clip.
"I ended up supporting two charities at once through buying a Big Mac for McHappy Day and giving them to the homeless."
She went on to speak about her past donations to the Ronald McDonald House, saying she does it "all the time" and has "for years".
"When I was younger I used to donate food and milk to the house every week and go deliver it. I shaved my head in Year 6 on Channel 7 to raise money. And I sell all my clothes and give 100 per cent of the proceeds to Ronald McDonald House. I just think it's ridiculous that I'm getting hate.
"Also a lot of the people were saying like, 'Oh yeah, you did this just for TikTok, you did this for content … Sure I could have donated directly, but the whole point in my head was to use my platform to make people aware of McHappy Day.
Sophia Begg made an enormous McDonald's order and then delivered it to charity. Photo / TikTok
"I thought it would be a waste of my platform not to share something like this that is so close to my heart … I just feel like I've been getting so much hate."
Sophia said she's donated to the Ronald McDonald House for years. Photo / Instagram
"We went to a Maccas closest to them so [the burgers] weren't cold," she added.
She thanked those among her 360,000 TikTok followers who had sent her kind messages amid the backlash.
"People are miserable, you did a wonderful thing and should feel proud," one person wrote.
