When a young mother named Allyson went to Kroger one day with her two year-old son Charlie, she was not expecting him to meet his new best friend there!

A woman named Erin was working at the store bagging groceries when she noticed Charlie and then shyly approached his mother and asked if he suffered from Down syndrome. When Allyson confirmed that he does have Down syndrome, Erin revealed that she has it as well, and her and Charlie immediately became best friends!

When Allyson visited the store with her son again the next week, Charlie and Erin picked up right where they left off and continued to bond. Since then, Allyson has made sure to bring Charlie to the store every Tuesday so that he can catch up with his buddy!

“I can be across the store and she sees, and she waves and we say ‘hi.’ She’s kind to everyone, not just me,” Allyson said.

Sometimes, Charlie will help Erin bag groceries at the store’s checkouts. Other times, Erin will give him a ride around the store in a cart!

“I felt a lot of connection when he was looking at me with his eyes. I could tell by his eyes that he’s connected to me,” Erin explained.

Allyson said that seeing how social Erin is and how hard she works at her job gives her hope for Charlie’s future.

“Anytime you see any person with special needs, it’s always, to me, inspiring to see them in the workplace because it just proves to the rest of the world who might have any doubts or concerns that they can do that too,” the mother said. “It gives me hope for Charlie’s future of all the things he might be capable of.”

Find out more about this powerful friendship in the video below.