Woman Pays For Man’s Groceries, He Repays Her With An Unbelievably Huge Gift

A little bit of kindness can go a long way. That was especially true for one Georgia woman who decided to pay for a stranger’s groceries and was paid back with more than she could have imagined.

According to the Huffington Post, 39-year-old Tracy Warshal was in line at an Aldi grocery store in Smyrna last December when she noticed the man in front of her had forgotten his wallet. He was only trying to buy a few items worth $7, but he had no money to pay for them. All he had to do was go out to his car and retrieve his wallet, but Tracy Warshal decided it would be easier just to pay the small bill herself. So she gave him $7.

“It would have been more of a headache for him to go out and find his wallet,” Tracy Warshal said.“He thanked me, asked my name and I said, ‘Tracy’ and that was it. I said, ‘Merry Christmas,’ and that was literally it.”

But that wasn’t it. While Tracy Warshal forgot about her small act of kindness, the man she helped did not. A month later, Warshal was informed by her employer, the Piedmont Foundation, that an anonymous person had donated $10,000 in her name. The man in the grocery line noticed that Tracy was wearing a Piedmont Cancer Institute t-shirt the day she helped him out, and decided to pay her back with massive interest.

Tracy Warshal is a scheduling coordinator for the Piedmont Foundation. The institution made a Facebook post recognizing Tracy for her kindness and how well it paid off for the healthcare organization. Tracy Warshal provided a statement telling the incredible story.

“We often forget the little things in life that mean the most. When I noticed a gentleman had forgotten his wallet at ALDI USA, I paid for his groceries. It was just fruit – it didn’t cost more than $8. I was really shocked to learn that this same gentleman later donated $10,000 to Piedmont’s foundation in my honor. I just happened to be wearing this Piedmont Cancer shirt when I met him. Working in cancer care, you are reminded that people are dealing with way bigger issues. I paid for the groceries in the hopes that someone would do the same thing for my loved ones if they were ever in a similar situation. What are the chances … of all the people I could have helped, that this would be how the favor was returned? One person really can make a difference.”

The huge donation will be spent to help cancer patients, as well as prescriptions, parking and transportation around the institute. If you want to donate to the Piedmont Institute yourself, you can do so by clicking here.

According to local news WSBTV, the extremely generous donor wished to remain anonymous. However, he did contact Piedmont Healthcare’s Vice President of Philanthropy Mendal Bouknight and asked for help in tracking Tracy Warshal down. Knowing she had some connection to the Piedmont Institute, he wanted to repay her for her kind gesture.

But Warshal didn’t think anything of it at the time. Paying for the man’s groceries just seemed like the right thing to do.

“Just by my first name and T-shirt I was wearing, and he donated $10,000,” Tracy Warshal added. “On our daily journey you never know what someone’s dealing with. If you are able to do a small gesture for someone, just do it. It can make a world of difference.”

Though Tracy Warshal is grateful for the anonymous man’s contribution, she does wish she could thank him in person.

“I would like to give him a hug and say thank you.”

[Photo by the Piedmont Institute]