Former homeless man helps Dallas mother in need with used van

A video from Pleasant Grove shows how quickly kindness can spread.

A man, who's had his fair share of hard times, came out of homelessness to become a small business owner. This week, he raised enough money to buy a struggling single mother with a new vehicle for the family.

Marquis Jones is a self-taught pastry chef. He's used his talent in the kitchen to pull himself out of poverty. And with the little money Jones has left, just like his sweets, Jones likes to share it with people who are struggling.

“Things haven't always been peaches and cream,” he said. “There was many nights in 2012 that I slept in my car."

That humbling experience is what prompted Jones to help out a total stranger he found on social media.

Shaquayla Givens had only met Jones one time before. At just 20 years old, the single mother of three has had a tough life.

"I was in a domestic violence relationship so I moved to a shelter,” she explained.

A few days ago, she was able to get her own apartment. Her next goal was to get a used car.

“I didn't know what to do and I didn't have anybody to turn too,” she said.

So Givens created a GoFundMe page, explaining her situation. Jones says he felt compelled to help.

“I felt like I had to step up and do something about it,” he explained.

With help from his loyal customers, Jones raised the $1,400 to buy Givens a used minivan in just over an hour. Then, he live streamed the moment on Facebook.

Because of Jones, Givens' daughters won't have to walk in the rain or heat anymore, when it would've been so easy to do nothing at all.

"To know there's good people out there, it's really a blessing,” said Givens.

Jones hopes sharing his story will inspire others to reach out to someone in need.