A Nigerian restaurant owner in Canada, Sijuola Folarin has received a cash gift of $50,000 and a new car from a TikTok philanthropist, Zachery Dereniowski. This is following her encounter with the Tiktoker at her restaurant, NaijaFoodEats situated in Windsor, Ontario.
A viral video posted on the Tiktok page of the philanthropist captured him asking the restaurant owner for the cheapest meal on the menu. Upon hearing Dereniowski’s budget, Folarin offered him a plate of Jollof rice and chicken, a popular Nigerian dish, for free.
While conversing, Folarin disclosed that she has been struggling to keep the restaurant open as a business owner. She clarified that the place was on a lease as she could not afford the rent and other bills.
Additionally, the food vendor explained that she also works as an Uber driver while her children oversee the restaurant to make ends meet. However, when the philanthropist offered her $1,000 in cash for her kindness, she rejected it.
Folarin insisted that it was a genuine act of kindness because she understood how difficult things could be for people. The restaurant owner uttered tearfully that on several occasions, she wanted to end the struggle through suicide but had to consider her children.
Unknown to Folarin, her act of kindness would be a turning point for her business. Shortly after her encounter with Dereniowski, the latter returned to the restaurant to gift her a new car. Further, through the GoFundMe link attached to the video from their first encounter, the philanthropist raised $50,000 from his community.
In addition to the new car, Dereniowski gave the $50,000 cash to Sijuola Folarin, while promising to renovate her restaurant. This has left a lot of internet users commending the philanthropist for his continuous efforts to impact the lives of strangers.
Meanwhile, individuals across various social media channels volunteer to patronize her food restaurant to keep the business running.
