“Gift cards are a very popular choice for families shopping for teenagers, and as such, our gift card supply was wiped out before the end of the first day at the store. I hopped on social media and asked the community to donate money to purchase more. By the end of Monday we received $390; by the next morning, we had $630! Our Good Tidings committee decided to allot some of this money for gas gift cards and spend the rest on Target gift cards. The Target checkout was slow-moving that morning and I got to chatting with the gentleman behind me in line. He shared he was also shopping for Christmas gifts for his teenage children. When it was my turn, the cashier began ringing up 24 $20 gift cards. She asked what they were for and I took the opportunity to share about Good Tidings and the rest of Festa’s work."

“The total came to $480. When I swiped my card, the transaction didn’t go through — either the store or the bank blocked the purchase due to it being a ‘suspiciously’ high number of gift cards. By that point, the line behind me was growing and I paused for a few seconds trying to think of what to do. As I’m standing there considering my options, the man I had been chatting with takes out his wallet and says, ‘Ma’am let me pay for that.’ I was in shock! I reiterated the large total but he stepped past me toward the cashier. I’m still saying, ‘Sir, really, I’ll just step aside and call my bank to tell them it’s a legitimate purchase…’ He said, ‘It’s for a good cause, right? Then it’s done,’ and he paid for my entire purchase. I was just in awe of his immediate action and extreme generosity to a complete stranger.”