Washington School Bus Driver Praised On Social Media For Going Out Of His Way To Keep Child Warm

An act of kindness from a school bus driver in Washington is being widely praised on social media today.

United States Army veteran John Lunceford says that at some point during his normal route last Thursday, a young male student boarded his bus in a pool of tears. Taking note of the boy’s exposed ears and hands, which were quite red, the bus driver, who works for the Kennewick School District, deduced that the child had been standing outside waiting for quite some time without proper clothing to keep him warm from the blistering cold.

“I put my gloves on him and told him ‘It’ll be OK,” John remarked, as noted by FOX 5 News.

Washington bus driver buys hats and gloves for kids in need on his route https://t.co/OdXfpKz1U0 pic.twitter.com/lm1VZSvdqM

— People (@people) December 15, 2016

After dropping the boy and his fellow students off at school, Lunceford then made a detour to a nearby dollar store, where he picked up 10 stocking hats and 10 pairs of gloves in black and pink. Following his purchase, Lunceford then made his way back to the school in hopes of gifting the lad he helped before but realized he hadn’t picked up the child’s name.

Luckily for him, school officials were familiar with the boy and directed the bus driver to the building’s library, where the boy was reading with his class. With a smile on his face, Lunceford approached the child and handed him a hat and a pair of gloves.

“I’m a grandfather, you know,” Lunceford remarked. “No one wants a kid to suffer like that.”

After his initial good deed, Lunceford addressed the remaining children in the library and stated that if any of them were on his route and needed warmer gear, he would help them out, too.

“There was a little girl who said ‘I don’t have a hat,'” John recalled.

“[I gave her one and], said ‘I’ll take care of you, sweetie.”

Moved by his actions, the Kennewald School District retold John’s story later that day on their official Facebook profile. As of today, the post has received nearly 10,000 likes and has been shared nearly 3,000 times. Unsurprisingly, quite a bit of praise is being heaped onto the kindhearted bus driver from those who have come across the notice.

“This act of kindness warms my heart,” Facebook user Rhea Hawko said. “There are so many people out there helping. We need to hear these stories more often.”

“God bless you, Mr. Lunceford,” a simpler message from Martha Watson states. “And Merry Christmas!”

Although the bus driver promises to do all he can for those in need like the little boy, the district implores parents to make sure that their children are properly bundled up for the season before sending them out each morning.

“The onset of winter weather means families need to send their students off each day wearing heavy coats, as well as hats and gloves or mittens,” their notice partially reads. “Our staff are always willing to help families find any items they need.”

https://www.facebook.com/KennewickSchoolDistrict/posts/1250773898299050:0

In a related story, a Kentucky father was recently arrested after neighbors witnessed his 4-year-old wandering in the cold with nothing but a diaper on.

Joshua Feltner, 32, of Corbin, faces child endangerment and public intoxication charges after a resident in the area purportedly discovered the child walking around in 20-degree weather without any clothing, so claims the Lexington Herald Leader. Feltner explained to the arresting officers that he had taken a hydrocodone pill on Saturday night and fell asleep, which led him not being aware of the child’s whereabouts or actions.

The neighbor alleged to have found Feltner’s offspring and placed them inside of their car, wrapped in a blanket, until law enforcement arrived. As of Sunday evening, the father was still being held at Laurel County Jail.

[Featured Image by Lightguard/iStock]