Arizona Teen Handed a Stranger His Size 13 Slides. Now They Talk Every Day

Jordan Hope was driving to the bank in Maricopa, Arizona, when he made a very different kind of deposit: the shoes on his own feet.²

Hope, 18, spotted an elderly man outside a Walgreens whose shoes were falling apart. He pulled over, took his off and handed them over.²³ According to ABC15, they were size 13 Nike slides, a size that is less a shoe than a small personal watercraft.⁴

The story has since traveled all the way to CBS Evening News, where reporter Tony Dokoupil shared the part that makes it more than a nice moment: the two have talked every day since.¹

The Shoes Were Just the Opening Act

When Hope stopped, the man was using a walker to cross John Wayne Parkway, a busy street, ABC15 reported.⁴ Handing over the slides could have been the whole good deed. Hope treated it like a warmup.

He followed the man into the drugstore and helped him get his prescription. He bought him peanut M&Ms. He called him a rideshare home.⁴

Then he followed the car to make sure the man got inside safely.⁴ That is the kind of door-to-door service most delivery companies only promise in their commercials.

Along the way, Hope learned the man, known as Mr. Roy, had lost his wife two weeks earlier. Mr. Roy, who Hope estimates is about 80, told him he had no family nearby and lived alone.³⁴

Going Viral Without Trying

Hope had no idea anyone was watching. Yareli Madrid, 30, an instructional aide studying to become a teacher, filmed the moment and posted it on Facebook, hoping the teen's family would see it.³⁵

"This is what kindness looks like," Madrid wrote in her post.⁵

Her wish came true with remarkable efficiency. The post spread, and the next day Hope's grandmother sent it to him.² (There is no surer sign you have gone viral than a grandmother forwarding you your own video.)

Hope, a recent high school graduate who is building his own computer business in Pinal County, kept his explanation short.²

"It's not that hard to be nice to people, and you never know what they're going through."

He told FOX 10 Phoenix that, and it is hard to improve on, so this story won't try.²

A Friendship With a Daily Check-In

The two now call each other every day to check in.³⁶ When Mr. Roy spent hours in the emergency room over his leg, the person he called for a ride was Hope.⁶

Hope also started a GoFundMe for Mr. Roy. Early coverage put the total at just over $2,000. By FOX 10's Oct. 11 report, it had passed $15,000.²⁶

Hope said he plans to keep the friendship close, with dinners out and trips to church together. He also wants Mr. Roy to keep doing things on his own unless he needs major help.² That's a friend who shows up without taking over, which is rarer than a spare pair of size 13s.

So the plan is dinner, church and a phone call every day. Shoes, presumably, will be worn by everyone.