Firemen Ditch Groceries for Emergency Call. Return to Store after, Immediately Handed this Note
Firefighters from Apex, North Carolina, were left stunned by a random act of kindness from a woman at Walmart.
The story began when a firefighter crew from Engine 2 was at Walmart purchasing a few groceries.
Before they could complete their purchase, the crew received an emergency call that left them running out in a hurry.
On the way out the door, the crew quickly told the Walmart cashier they’d be back to pay for their groceries. But at that moment, they had no time to waste in responding to the emergency call.
“It’s important to us,” firefighter Andrew Baker said, explaining that his colleagues take no more than 90 seconds to leave on a call. “We take a lot of pride in trying to get out.”
By the time the crew was able to return to Walmart, an employee had an unexpected surprise waiting for them.
A woman had paid for all of the groceries, leaving a note on the receipt that read, “Thanks for all you do.”
Stunned, the crew inquired about the woman’s identity, but nobody knew who she was. Greatly encouraged by the gesture, the crew left with hearts overflowing with gratitude.
“The nice employees at Walmart told us that it was a lady behind us in line,” said firefighter Jeffery Jones. “But we never did actually get to meet her and tell her, ‘thank you.'”
If their story does find its way back to the mystery woman, firefighters want her to know she’s welcome to visit the station anytime.
“We would like to tell her thank you from the bottom of our hearts,” Jones expressed.
Firefighters are constantly bombarded with the tragedies and heartache of the world — house fires, medical emergencies, death. A simple gesture of kindness, to know they are appreciated, can make all the dark days seem worthwhile.
“It makes me feel like there are still good people in the world,” Baker stated. “You don’t get that every day, so to me it gives you a warm feeling inside to know that people really do care about you.”
While these heroes were off taking care of their community, it’s encouraging to know another hero was watching, doing her part to take care of the community, too.
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