Oklahoma Restaurant Owner Leaves Note Inviting Dumpster Diver to a Free Meal

— -- Ashley Jiron was outside her Warr Acres, Oklahoma, restaurant when she noticed that someone had been going through the dumpster.

“I had gone to the back to go put some trash in the dumpster, and I had noticed that some bags and containers with food were emptied and gone through,” Jiron told ABC News. “Immediately, of course, my heart sank, and I knew I needed to do something about it right away.”

Jiron, 30, who owns P.B. Jams, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich spot, took action and posted a note on the dumpster outside.

“Unfortunately, I was not able to see that person or have the chance to talk to them or invite them in, so I thought that leaving a note might do the trick for me and get them in for me,” she said.

The note invited the person in, no questions asked, for a free sandwich and vegetables. For Jiron, the gesture was personal.

“I am a mother of two little girls and I’ve struggled like a lot of single parents out there, and I’ve had to ask for state assistance food stamps and such,” she said. “Sometimes at the end of the month there wasn’t enough to feed me and my family. Something as simple as even just a peanut butter and jelly sandwich is very comforting to somebody and maybe even offer them a few words.”

So far, the person has not taken up Jiron on her offer, but the community has shown lots of support, with Jiron’s post on Facebook getting nearly 600 “likes” and over 200 “shares.”

“I don’t know if that person will ever come in with the attention this has gotten, because it could be pride. I don’t want to hurt anyone’s pride that’s not my intention at all; I just wanted to feed them something simple,” she said. “It has been so incredible the kind of support from everyone messaging and writing me and thanking me for something so simple that I thought was just second nature.”