94-year-old man blessed after someone gives him $84K to retire

Here's a heartwarming story.

Street vendor Jose Villa Ochoa or known by his nickname of “Don Joel”, was selling tamales on the streets of Santa Ana, California trying to make a living when his life took an uplifting turn.

It was when 28-year-old Kenia Barragan stopped to attend to the man with the offering of $50 and a torta for lunch. This kind gesture had brought the 94-year-old man to tears as shown in the video below.

The woman posted to her Instagram the story in the photo caption:

"Came to Chase earlier and noticed this man. He was selling tamales, so I approached him and gave him the cash I had and told him to keep the tamales for someone else. I started talking to him, and he told me that because he’s old, no one will hire him, so he sells tamales for a lady, and then she gives him money at the end of the day. His name is Joel, he’s 94 years old and uses a wheelchair to get around. He can barley afford to buy his coffee and bread in the morning to eat, and doesn’t have money to pay for a phone, let alone his medication. I found all this out, just by taking a few minutes out of my day to acknowledge a stranger. I gave him my phone number, and told him to call me whenever he needs anything... this breaks my heart. If anyone wants to help him out, please reach out to me. Second video is me giving him $50 that someone donated to him and a Torta Ahogada I bought for him. He said he’s gonna go to church tomorrow and pray for me."

Click the right arrow in the post below to view the video.

“I felt for him… My parents are both older, and I would hate to see my dad out selling tamales for somebody and barely making ends meet,” Barragan tells a local news station.

Don had told Barragan that he had trouble finding work due to his age, so he settled on selling tamales on the street for a local woman who makes them. The woman gives him a cut of her profits at the end of the day, but it's not enough. Don found himself sometimes struggling to afford a cup of coffee. Don also found struggling to afford his medications or even a phone.

Barragan had been moved by the Don's story so she hoped to raise some money for the hard working man's retirement.

In just a week, Barragan round up $84,000 in donations towards his retirement. Barragan even had purchased a brand new wheel chair and shoes for the gentleman.

“I hope people take care of our community. We need to take care of each other. Even if you can’t give money — donate a prayer, give something back, take the time to get to know someone.” said Barragan.

Barragan works for a transportation company that sources and coordinates people who have disabilities. She has a dream to open up a homeless shelter one day. It is people like her who make a huge difference in someone's life.

“I’ve always wanted a purpose in my life and I wanted to help people. This was the starting point for me,” she said.