A 2017 story about Johan Scott<\/a>, a retired policeman from Heidelberg, South Africa, is suddenly going viral again. It’s doing the rounds on Facebook, being shared by pages and people who may not know the full background\u2026 but it\u2019s hitting home regardless.<\/p>\n And it\u2019s no surprise why.<\/p>\n It all started with a single stolen cauliflower.<\/p>\n Most people would\u2019ve been annoyed. Maybe even angry. But Johan saw it differently. The missing vegetable made him pause. It made him realise that someone nearby must have been hungry… hungry enough to help themselves.<\/p>\n So instead of putting up a fence or a camera, Johan planted more.<\/p>\n More vegetables. More hope. More kindness.<\/p>\n \u201cIt makes my heart happy when I see people eating my vegetables,\u201d he told us in 2017. \u201cThat is why I planted this… because the people are hungry, they need this.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Johan turned the pavement outside his home into a thriving little garden filled with beans, tomatoes, eggplants and beetroot. And told his community they were welcome to help themselves. No charge. No catch. Just food and dignity, freely given.<\/p>\n It was one of the very first stories we shared about growing food for the community\u2026 and it\u2019s stuck with us (and South Africa) ever since. Unfortunately, we don\u2019t have a new update on Johan or how his garden is doing in 2025. But what we can tell you is this: his story planted something far bigger than he may have imagined.<\/p>\n Since that viral moment in 2017, we\u2019ve written dozens of stories about ordinary South Africans doing extraordinary things\u2026 all by planting vegetables on pavements<\/a>, in parks, outside schools, or even in wheelbarrows. We\u2019ve seen community champions grow free food gardens<\/a> in townships, business owners create veggie stands for anyone in need and kids start planting for their neighbours. And in every single one of those stories, the idea is the same: people are hungry\u2026 and we can help.<\/p>\n There\u2019s something deeply powerful about these simple gestures, and it’s not because they solve hunger overnight but because they remind us that compassion doesn\u2019t need permission. You don\u2019t need a big budget or a fancy plan. Sometimes all it takes is some seeds, a bit of soil and the will to share.<\/p>\n Desmond Tutu said it best, \u201cDo your little bit of good where you are; it\u2019s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n So if you\u2019re seeing Johan\u2019s story again and wondering if kindness still exists, yes, it does. It\u2019s growing all around us. One veggie patch at a time.<\/p>\n PS… this story may be the seed you needed to start your own “good things garden”!<\/p>\n![\"Cabbage](\"https:\/\/www.goodthingsguy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/cabbage-bandit.jpg\")
\nSources: Good Things Guy\u00a0<\/em><\/h6>\n
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