Mom raises $45K for McDonald's worker who paid for family's meal when she forgot wallet

WAYNESVILLE, Ohio — A mother who received a random act of kindness from a McDonald's employee has returned the favor by helping raise over $45,000 for the young man.

Brittany Reed was sitting in a McDonald's drive-thru with her three crying kids when she realized she had forgotten her purse. When Reed told the restaurant employee, Wyatt Jones, she needed to cancel order, Jones took out his wallet and paid for the family's meal himself.

In a post to Facebook, Reed wrote that when she refused to have him pay, Jones said "no, it's totally fine, my pleasure." The Waynesville, Ohio mother wanted to share Wyatt's good deed to show his parents how kind and compassionate their son was.

"He made this stressed out momma pause for a moment and realize this is exactly what we parents are trying to do, raise great humans." wrote Reed.

Reed returned later that night and repaid Jones the money he had spent. She said Wyatt first refused to take the money, but Reed demanded and told him "that when you put good in the world, it comes back to you tenfold."

When Reed and husband learned Wyatt was saving money to buy a car, they created a GoFundMe account to return the kindness favor. As of Oct. 9, the account has raised $45,917; well over the original goal of $5,000.