In the video, Saenz went through a Starbucks drive-thru and asked the employee working at the window, "what is your dream in life?"
Manny replied that his current dream is to get a car. Saenz then asked him how much getting a new car would cost him, and he told her $1,000.
She then asked him, "what's something you're struggling with?" and that's when the barista really opened up and confessed that he was struggling with depression.
"I have depression I'm fighting currently."
Saenz told him, "we might see you around," and then drove off.
@charlieWow this made me cry. You never know what someone is going through 🥺❤️ #fypp #positivity #starbucks
Saenz then filmed herself buying Manny a bouquet of red roses, a wooden chest box and a toy car. She also pulled out $1,000 to surprise him with as a gift.
"We're about to surprise Manny with $1000, so he can get a car," said Saenz in the video. "I can't wait to see his reaction."
Saenz then put the $1,000 in the packing of the toy car, placed the toy car in the wooden chest and drove off to the Starbucks.
When she got to the window, she told Manny: "We were really inspired by your story, and we wanted to get you a little something."
She first handed him the bouquet of roses, to which Manny responded by thanking her and telling her, "I've never been given flowers before."
"We have one more thing," continued Saenz before handing him the wooden chest.
When Manny opens the chest and finds the toy car with the $1,000, Saenz says, "It's $1,000 so you can get a new car," and that's when the waterworks started.
Manny burst into tears and thanked Saenz for the generous gift before opening up further about his suicidal thoughts.
"This morning, actually, I had suicidal thoughts, and I didn't feel like waking up."
"This is just a sign from God that you're meant to be here and that you're so loved," Saenz said. "Light will shine on your face again."
Of course, Saenz didn't get the money together herself. Instead, she's been working with influencer Charlie Rocket, who runs a charity called the Dream Machine Foundation. They gave Manny the first $1,000 for a new car, and now they're crowdfunding to get him an even better one.
People were apparently so moved by that first video that they've now helped raise more than $30,000 - more than three times the original goal.
"He takes the bus to work everyday, because he doesn’t have the financial means to afford a car," reads the description of the donation site. "We started out the donations by giving him $1,000, but to get a good car we set a goal to raise him $10,000."
Charlie Rocket thanked Saenz in the comments on her original video and said, "@perri, thank you for spreading your love & kindness to him."
The top comment under the video said, "stop, I'm bawling; he seems like the sweetest, most deserving person," which received over 136,000 likes.
Another commenter pointed out how rare it is to see men open up about their struggles with mental health and said, "damn, you don't see that side of men often; thank you; he needed that y'all came to him at the right time!"
"This is so damn beautiful," read another comment.
"This is why you never have to act like a Karen to an employee," one commenter wrote. "You never know what they're going through. The way you treat them matters."
If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of harming themselves, please reach out to a trusted peer, parent or health care professional. You can also contact the Crisis Services Canada helpline, which is available 24 hours a day, or consult these additional resources. If you need immediate assistance, please call 911 or go to your nearest hospital. Support is available.
