Ellen DeGeneres Gives $10,000 And A 50-Inch TV To Waitress

Ellen DeGeneres, the much loved television personality, made a New Hampshire waitress’s day by giving her $10,000 and a 50-inch, flat screen TV. There was of course good reason for these impromptu gifts to the lucky waitress.

Two National Guard soldiers, affected by the federal government shutdown, entered her restaurant last week and ate their lunch When it came to paying the check, the waitress who had served the soldiers, Sarah Hoidahl, paid the $27.75 owed for their meals.

This kind act by Hoidahl was noticed by Ellen DeGeneres after the New Hampshire National Guard posted a picture on their Facebook page. The picture quickly went viral and Hoidahl was invited to Hollywood.

DeGeneres presented the waitress with $27.75 in cash and a check for $10,000. She also threw in a top-of-the-range flat screen television for good measure, and presumably so that Hoidahl can watch her show.

Of course this type of thing makes for great television, especially as Americans struggle with the current economic issues. It is especially poignant at a time when so many government workers have been affected by the recent shutdown.

Sarah Hoidahl’s random act of kindness to the soldiers was well matched by the kind gesture of Ellen DeGeneres and her production team. More acts of kindness like this could help America through its troubled times.