EBT payment was not working so...

My wife and I were recently at the grocery store and there were two young mothers in line in front of us.  They were trying to use their EBT cards to pay for the groceries and it wasn't "going thru".  The groceries were completely bagged up and ready to go, but without payment the cashier was preparing to call for assistance to restock all of the items and send them home empty-handed.  My wife glanced over at me knowing that this would be a situation that we could assist with.  I nodded in agreement and we told the cashier that we would be happy to pay their bill.  The young ladies were very confused at first, but once they  figured out what had happened, they immediately began crying and gave us both very emotional hugs.  The total bill for both was over $180 (they had a lot and groceries are expensive you know) but it was well worth it for the joy that we shared with them that night.  It wasn't a "stealthy" act of service since they knew who we were, but I thought I would share it.

Happy Birthday at the Pizza House

Hey Stealth Servant,  I was eating lunch with my wife at the Pizza House and we overheard the guys at the table next to us say they were celebrating a birthday, so I went to the counter and said that we would love to pick up the tab for their lunch annonymously.  We didn't quite get away with the "annonymous" part, but it was fun anyway.  The guys were very appreciative.

Free Rent for Christmas!

I own a duplex and there are a couple of recently divorced single moms living there.  I know that the transition has been a struggle and they have had some other problems which have made this year a tough one for them financially.  My family has been blessed enough to be able to tell them to keep their rent checks for the second half of December.  Its not much, but I know that it certainly helped reduce the financial strain of the Christmas season for their families.  I could certainly tell from their e-mailed responses that I made their day (and mine too.)
Anonymous

Free $5 Footlong

Just wanted to submit a quick and easy one I did today:

I paid for my Subway sandwich and left $5 for the next person who came in.  I hope they enjoy their free $5 Footlong!

Anonymous

Free Haircut

I was at GreatClips the other day and I decided to buy an extra hair cut for the attendant to give to someone that she thought might need a little help.   The attendant seemed genuinely thankful and it occurred to me that even after paying for my haircut and the extra one, I was still spending way less on a haircut than my wife.  When I walked out, I felt pretty good about myself because I had a new haircut and I had hopefully made someone's day, all for only 14 extra bucks!

Annonymous

A perfect example for the upcoming holiday season...

Stealth Servants:  If you don't know who Larry Stewart is, you should!  He's the legendary Secret Santa from the Kansas City area that should be a inspiration to all of us.  For more background on Larry, follow this link:

http://www.daveramsey.com/specials/christmas-articles/article/secret-santas-legacy-lives-on/ictid/christmas-article/

Happy Giving!

Kindness In The Grocery Store

I was in the grocery store and there was an older woman in front of me who had a few grocery items and was trying to pay for them with a food stamp debit card.  The card was not going through and she explained to the cashier several times that this was a new program and it did not always work.  The cashier said that she would need to pay cash for her groceries as the system was not accepting the card she was using for payment.  The woman very quietly explained that she would need to put the food back as she did not have the funds to pay in cash.  I asked if she would let me pay for them to which she said - "Oh no, I can't pay you back right away" and I said "It would be my pleasure to pay for the groceries"  I went on to explain to her that I had a Mother who lived 45 minutes away and who did not drive or have a car and that she had wonderful neighbors who took care of her since I lived far away and this was my way of paying it forward to her.  She insisted that I give her my phone number or address so that she could send me the money and I said no - I would like to be able to do this for her and that I understand how the new food stamp cards may not always work each time, etc.   The grocery store clerk explained that the woman's groceries totalled $6.30.  She was astounded that I had offered to pay for the groceries without even knowing the total.  I left the store feeling pleased that I was behind the woman in line and thinking there was a reason I chose that line instead of the other open lines at the store that night.  Since that day, my life has been going very well for me and while there is no way for me to be sure it has anything to do with my Random Act of Kindness, I like to think it is God's way of paying it forward.


From Sandy in PA