Asda Middleton worker's 'amazing act of kindness' as she spots homeless man outside Leeds store

Rachel Cunningham said she "couldn't just walk by" when she saw the man sitting in the cold while on her shift.

Rachel, who is the store's community champion, said: "I'd just popped outside to get another trolley for our food bank donations when I saw him sitting on the ground.

"I knelt down and had chat with him and learned that he was living in a tent and he was hungry.

"It was very cold. I couldn't just walk by – no way."

She then got him a hot chocolate and a slice of pizza from the Asda cafe, as well as buying and filling up a hot water bottle for him, before making a call to get him shelter for the night.

The man is now being assessed for housing.

Rachel added: "I got him some hot food and a drink and filled up a hot water bottle for him and then, using my community contacts, got hold of the homeless outreach team who managed to get him a bed in a hotel on the other side of Leeds.

"I don't think anyone should be homeless, not in this day and age."

Store manager Hugh Clarke, who nominated Rachel for an Asda award, says he and his colleagues at the store are "mega proud" of her actions.

He added: "She bought hot food for the man out of her own pocket and then took the trouble to phone around the homeless shelters in Leeds for him.

"I don't think a lot of people would do that, but that's just the sort of person Rachel is. It was an amazing act of kindness."

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