Mail Carrier Sends Birthday Boy Over the Moon with 1 Small Act of Kindness
With one simple act of kindness, an Alabama mail carrier made a huge difference for a struggling family on her delivery route.
According to Fox News, Chip Matthews was first to the front door on Nov. 5, running to greet mail carrier Tawanna Purter, 42, when she arrived on his sixth birthday.
With the house decorated in birthday balloons and packages addressed to Chip, Purter knew she wanted to do something special for the little boy.
“When he came running out the door, I said: ‘You must be Chip!’ And he was like, ‘Yes.” I said, ‘Today’s your birthday?’ And he started smiling,” Purter said.
Purter had just the thing to brighten Chip’s smile on his special day. She rummaged around in her pocket and pulled out a dollar bill and four quarters, handing them off as a small, personal gift alongside the scheduled mail.
The carrier said she loves helping others, in any capacity. She has gifted complete strangers money for gas or groceries on multiple occasions, saying she wants to pay forward the kindness of those who helped her when she was struggling to keep a job.
Chip, who was saving up to buy a Spider-Man action figure, greatly appreciated the gift. His mother, however, was even more touched.
“He was ecstatic,” said his mom, Bonnie Matthews. “He came running back in the house just waving his money, so excited that he got some birthday money from somewhere extra special and unexpected.”
The grateful mother later revealed to Fox News that the year had been a particularly difficult one for her family, as they remained isolated due to the ongoing pandemic and Matthews was laid off from her job as a school counselor.
“Our family, like many families, has endured a lot … has had some pretty significant challenges,” Matthews said.
“And so, gestures like that, I think those are the things, those are the memories that we’re hoping to take away from these nine months.”
Chip had a thank-you card ready for Purter before too long, and the two took several photos to commemorate their newfound friendship.
“Chip Matthews loves picking up the mail. And he loves it even more now,” KFSN-TV posted on its official Twitter account.
“For his sixth birthday, mail carrier Tawanna Purter surprised him with a gift: a dollar bill and four quarters — a small fortune at his age.”
Chip Matthews loves picking up the mail. And he loves it even more now. For his sixth birthday, mail carrier Tawanna Purter surprised with him with a gift: a dollar bill and four quarters – a small fortune at his age. https://t.co/ieM4O1YaHC pic.twitter.com/5GtOAQiUQx
— ABC30 Fresno (@ABC30) November 29, 2020
“Even though … no one knows how they’re going to make it from here to the next day,” Purter said, “there are still people that … take their time and still want to show kindness.”
The Matthews family repaid Purter’s generosity by offering to babysit and facilitate virtual learning for her young son while she is on her route, as the mail carrier was struggling to find adequate and affordable childcare.
“It was an awesome moment,” Matthews said. “There was a reason we were brought together.”
The mother hopes her children, Chip and his 8-year-old sister Bennett, will remember this exchange for years to come, carrying the kindness and community displayed as the most important memory from a trying time.
“Not the ugly that was out there right now,” she said. “But the good and the kind and the giving.”
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