All the Most Astonishing Acts of Kindness this Holiday Season

Across the nation good citizens are offering a helping hand to those in need during the first holiday season plagued by the pandemic.

Take a look at these patriot’s newsworthy contributions to their fellow man.

Paying the bills

For the second holiday season in a row, Florida businessman, Michael Esmond paid $7,600 in overdue utility bills for 114 families who were about to have service shut off.  

“People can’t afford to pay their bills and put food on the table, so I hope doing my part and paying some bills for these folks takes a little bit of stress off of them around Christmas time,” Esmond remarked. Last year he shelled out $4,600 to help out 36 families in need.  

Last year, Michael Esmond paid the bills for 36 families who were at risk of having their utilities shut off in Florida.

This year, he did it again — except for one thing.

He paid for 114 families instead.https://t.co/yAKRN05wM7

— Goodable (@Goodable) December 11, 2020

Layaway miracle

In a “mind-blowing” act of kindness, an anonymous Good Samaritan paid off every layaway item at a Bristol, Tennessee Walmart. The mystery donor spent $65,000 in cash and had one request for the store, “please tell them Merry Christmas and I love them.”  

In Tennessee, a man called up a Walmart and asked if he could do something special for the holidays.

The next day, he showed up with $65,000 in cash — and paid for every single item on layaway.

Before leaving, all he said was "Please tell them Merry Christmas and I love them." pic.twitter.com/uM6Dttk0v1

— Goodable (@Goodable) December 12, 2020

Special delivery

The Orlando Police Department collected the names of local children in need, then the entire department chipped in to purchase gifts for the list of over 200 children, and personally delivered them on Saturday.  

TOY DRIVE ?: This morning, thanks to the members of the Orlando Police Department who donated toys for well-deserving families in our community, our Neighborhood Patrol Unit, Patrol Officers, & Community Relations Division personally delivered gifts to more than 200 kids. pic.twitter.com/72thlMQZyz

— Orlando Police (@OrlandoPolice) December 12, 2020

Cup of Joe

A Louisville coffee shop struggling to keep the doors open received a $2,500 donation from a regular that often worked remotely from the shop, who then dropped another $2,500 to fund a free cup of joe for locals. As a result, the java joint has been able to keep all their staff employed.  

Everything we do starts with
Really Good Coffee. pic.twitter.com/30bruy1dQs

— Fante's Coffee (@FanteCoffee) November 21, 2020

Walking the right path

A 93-year-old retired Air Force colonel whittles walking sticks and sells them roadside to his community for $3 a piece.  He donates all the proceeds to the Xenia Area Fish Food Pantry to feed the hungry.  

This is 93 year old John Hobson of Caesarscreek Twp. For months the retired Air Force Colonel has been working in his shop & crafting walking sticks to sell to the community for $3 apiece. ALL the money goes to the Xenia Area Fish Food Pantry. #xeniaproud https://t.co/bpWdn8vUPz

— Megan O'Rourke (@Megan247Now) December 12, 2020

Drive-thru kindness

A Minnesota Dairy Queen experienced a chain of ordering kindness that lasted for two days long. When a customer paid for the order behind him at the drive-thru, every customer behind him continued to pay it forward for nearly a thousand visits afterward.  

Wedding food

When a couple had to cancel their 150-person wedding due to the pandemic, they eloped and asked the caterer to use their $5,000 non-refundable deposit to help feed the needy. On Thanksgiving, they packed and distributed more than 200 meals to the mentally ill through the non-profit Thresholds.

Great story. Congrats to this couple for finding love and sharing it with the members of @Thresholdsctrs https://t.co/7hFf1vnO4b

— Judy Maley (@JudyMaley1) November 25, 2020

Gaming gift

When a Philadelphia teenager won a sold out and highly valuable PlayStation 5 in a raffle, instead of keeping it or turning a hefty profit, he gifted the console to his neighbor – a ten-year-old boy battling brain cancer. 

The Angel Otero ‘22 and Sonny Boyd story was picked up by 6ABC News. It will be on tonight at 5pm!
@AJohnson6ABC
@RomanCatholichs @AOPS_Schools pic.twitter.com/4AxjO4zLJK

— Roman Athletics (@RomanAthletics) November 30, 2020

NFL Trees

NFL players Dak Prescott, Jared Goff, Adam Theilen, and more are teaming up with Lowes to deliver more than 13,000 pre-lit Christmas trees to respective communities.  “Giving back is what the holidays are all about, and it’s an honor to be a part of these tree deliveries alongside so many other incredible NFL players and organizations,” said injured Dallas Cowboys’ QB Prescot.  

Today, we're shining light across communities by donating $1M worth of Christmas trees to those impacted by the pandemic. ​

This #GivingTuesday, help us make the holidays a little brighter by posting your own tree lighting with #HomeUnitesUs. ? pic.twitter.com/TaaQPAOecD

— Lowe's (@Lowes) December 1, 2020

Marie Finn