A homeless man who was hired at McDonald’s after help from a policeman has had his first day on the job.
Phil was due to interview at a McDonald’s in Florida a couple of weeks ago, where he was told that if he turned up freshly shaven, he could have the opportunity to get the job.
Phil had bought a second hand razor so he could prepare for his big moment, but unfortunately found that the razor was broken. He turned to a policeman for help, and asked Officer Carlson if he knew anything about how to fix razors.
The policeman managed to fix the razor, and even went a step further to help out Phil.
Check out the video below:
The Tallahassee police officer realised Phil was struggling to shave without a mirror, so offered to shave for him.
Officer Carlson later appeared in a video posted by the Tallahassee police department on Facebook, where he explained further what happened.
He said:
He seemed excited about [the job]…if he’s wanting to help himself, I need to be helpful and try to help him out the best I can.
He was excited that there was a chance that he was gonna get a job if he just did this simple thing of trying to clean up.
Phil was offered the job at McDonald’s, but there was still something standing in his way – he didn’t have a government ID or social security card, the appropriate identification he needed.
The owner of the McDonald’s, Raphael Vasquez, spoke to Today, explaining the situation.
He said:
[Phil] came back on Monday fully shaved. He interviewed and he did everything great. He just needs to complete the ID process and he has the job.
Fantastically, the work of the internet and some very kind people helped Phil over this hurdle. When his story went viral, it caught the attention of US Senator Marco Rubio, and the Senator’s office offered to help out.
#GoodNews Phillip aka “Phil” started his new job today at McDonald's! We couldn’t be more proud! The way #Tallahassee…
Posted by City of Tallahassee Police Department on Friday, 27 July 2018
Posting to Facebook, Officer Carlson explained:
I then told Phil I had good news about that and told him I had been contacted by Senator Marco Rubio’s office here in town.
They stated they had also seen the story and wanted to help Phil get his ID and Social Security card.
I told Phil when I got to work on Thursday I would print out the paperwork they emailed to me and bring it by for Phil to fill out.
Ok so everybody has been wanting an update on Phil, so here it is: This evening I was going to dinner with the family…
Posted by Tony Carlson on Tuesday, 24 July 2018
Goodwill provided the hopeful man with some dress clothes, and he headed to Florida State Capitol where he filled out his paperwork:
FINDING PHIL: We caught up with Phillip “Phil” March as he and City of Tallahassee Police Department Officer Tony Carlson headed to the Social Security Office to get his paperwork ready for McDonald’s. You’ll hear from him tonight.
Posted by WTXL Tallahassee on Thursday, 26 July 2018
Once he’d secured everything he needed, Phil started his janitorial job at the restaurant on Friday, July 27.
The Tallahassee police department posted that he is ‘doing great & enjoying his new job at McDonald’s’.
A former officer of the Tallahassee police department presented Phil with some gift cards that other restaurants had generously donated.
#UPDATE We talked to Phil today! He’s doing great & enjoying his new job at McDonald's. We received some gift cards for…
Posted by City of Tallahassee Police Department on Wednesday, 1 August 2018
Vasquez has explained that if the new employee remains with the company for at least 90 days, working 15 hours a week, he’ll qualify for the fast food restaurant’s Archways to Opportunity programme.
The programme can assist Phil in gaining a high school diploma, college tuition and even the chance to plan a career.
The kind actions of Officer Carlson and everyone else who helped Phil secure his new job have been praised by people all over the world.
One person wrote:
Thank you for what you are doing for Phil. God Bless the two of YOU.
When speaking about his good deed, the officer said:
Just because he’s homeless, doesn’t mean he isn’t a part of the community.
This story just shows how far one small act of kindness can go.
Congratulations on the new job, Phil!
If you have a story you want to tell, send it to [email protected].
Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.