The Sandwich Man’s Secret

Paul was a quiet coworker known for eating the same plain sandwich every day and enduring mild teasing without complaint. After he quit, a colleague cleaning his desk found children’s drawings of a man handing out sandwiches. Curious, he visited the West End Library, where Paul was giving lunch bags to hungry kids.

Paul explained the sandwiches were practice—he’d grown up in foster care often hungry, and feeding children helped him heal. When Paul collapsed from exhaustion, the coworker took over, and soon the office joined in with “Sandwich Fridays.”

Paul never returned to his job. He founded a nonprofit, One Meal Ahead, proving that heroism can be quiet—and carried in a paper bag.