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‘Tis the Season: Secret Santas Pay Off Needy Families’ Layaway Bills at Local Kmart

Dec. 8, 2011 10:31pm Tiffany Gabbay

There seems to be no shortage of depressing, if not tragic news stories circulating the wires on any given day. That is why stories like the one we’re about to bring you — especially at such a festive time of year — are made all the more profound and heartwarming.

It all started Monday evening at a Plainfield, Michigan Kmart, when an unidentified woman paid off $500 worth of layaway bills for needy customers. The woman also donated a shopping cart full of toys to the store.

Now string of copy-cat “Secret Santas” could be on the rise.

Local NBC affiliate Wood TV8 brings us the details:

“This lady came up randomly and said, ‘Can I, you know, pay off some people’s layaway?’” said Dannell Goddard. Goddard works at Kmart in the layaway department. She told 24 Hour News 8 that when she first heard the request, she was a bit confused.

“I was like, ‘Well, are you trying to pick them up? ‘Cause you can’t pick them up if you don’t have an ID,” Goddard said. “And [the mystery woman] replied, ‘Nope, I just want to help people.’”

The woman looked through several of the about 800 layaway contract tickets at the store. She randomly picked and paid the bill on three of them. She paid about $500 between all three of them and left a $10 balance on each of the accounts.

The woman’s only requirement was that there were toys in the layaway orders.

“It was really crazy the way she did it. She was so excited and so happy to do it,” said Goddard. “She had a great heart, and I told her that I felt like she had a great heart, and she said she doesn’t want to take appreciation for it. She just felt that she was blessed and she wanted to bless others.”

One of the recipients was Mary Chapin, who told News 8 the act of kindness “restored her faith in people.”

Chapin had put about $200 worth of toys on layaway for her autistic son, David, and was hoping to pay off the balance by the week before Christmas.

Needless to say, the struggling mom got the surprise of her life, when Kmart called to inform her that she only had a $10 balance left on her account.

She calls the woman “an angel.”

“Even though we’re all in the same boat, nobody’s thinking about anyone else, it’s every man for himself,” Chapin told News 8. “To have somebody come along behind, and just do something that’s totally unnecessary but so appreciated, it just really made a difference.”

But the story doesn’t end there. Just days after News 8 aired its report on the anonymous Secret Santa and “copycat” Samaritan also paid a visit to the Plainfield Kmart and settled 14 layaway bills totaling around $2,000.

The man, who also says he wishes to remain unidentified says he hopes that his copycatting will inspire other to copycat him.

In the spirit of the season, please enjoy these inspirational and uplifting clips.

WZZM talks about the copycat Secret Santa:

In CONTROL, Glenn Beck presents a passionate, fact-based case for guns that reveals why gun control isn’t really about controlling guns at all; it’s about controlling us. Find out more HERE.

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Comments (58)

bradleyt15
Posted on December 9, 2011 at 2:25am
God bless the woman that started this. I look forward to doing the same and hope that they all Pay it Forward.

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- thegrassroots
  Posted on December 9, 2011 at 8:39am
  Beautiful! I love that she was going thru the “tickets” and looking for the ones with toys. Santa’s about the kids and there are some kids, who might have gone without, who are now guaranteed gifts from Santa on Christmas morning.
  
  We can ALL do something like this; whether in big or small ways, it doesn’t really matter. It’s just that a lot of “somethings” can add up pretty quickly.
  
  ~ Matthew 6:1-4
  
  Merry Christmas!
  
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- 777jenn
  Posted on December 9, 2011 at 10:57am
  Yes, may God bless her! I know I am now inspired to do a similar act of genuine anonymous kindness! The feeling that gives is a gift to self, indeed….and a great thing to show my kids! I was actually about to buy myself a new gorgeous leather jacket, since I am done with my shopping list….but I do not really need it. I will use that amount to pay someone’s lay away of toys!
  MERRY CHRISTMAS ALL !
  
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- drattastic
  Posted on December 9, 2011 at 11:18am
  Nice to read something uplifting for a change.
  
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- getalong
  Posted on December 9, 2011 at 3:23pm
  God Bless this woman!
  
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Searchingforthelight
Posted on December 9, 2011 at 1:43am
A much better story than paying someones meal behind you in a drive-through.
I understand the be thou an example, we really need good examples, I have too found that
when done in secret, God out-wordly blesses me as well. But how people find out, God only knows.

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Tom Cutler
Posted on December 9, 2011 at 1:04am
This is an excellent idea and a great way to give. It would be so awesome if thousands of people did this and write the note “a friend of Glenn Beck’s” on the receipt. Really screw with the liberal media!

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- voodoolife
  Posted on December 9, 2011 at 1:22am
  I think Glenn would say just do it because you want to and leave his name out. People that hate him would turn it on him as a publicity stunt. IMOHO… But I fully understand what you mean, so people would listen more to the good he does rather than just hate him because the Huffy Post said so…
  
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kalayaan
Posted on December 9, 2011 at 12:22am
God bless this woman….God is good because He not only gives the 1% the wealth…He also give each of them a big heart!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!!

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abbygirl1994
Posted on December 9, 2011 at 12:13am
Awesome story.. I wept! God help us all!!

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lutragirlinde
Posted on December 9, 2011 at 12:04am
doing something as simple as this may make the difference between a family having packages to open on Christmas morning and paying the electric bill.

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BowHuntingTexas
Posted on December 8, 2011 at 11:45pm
An inspiration.

Had not even thought of this. I might not be able to give out a grand but I’d be able to afford $100 or $200 towards someones layaway.

Great idea.

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TRONINTHEMORNING
Posted on December 8, 2011 at 11:39pm
A true Christmas story!

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mode101
Posted on December 8, 2011 at 11:34pm
If you can’t give $, give your time and be a Big Brother or Big Sister, and/or a foster parent…I went from being a Big Brother to a single foster parent!….. its a blessing, my foster son pushed me to become a US Citizen, ( i came here legally from Chile) ….he tested me and I was sworn in Oct 2011…now to vote Obama out in 2012! http://www.bbbs.org

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- WeekendAtBernankes
  Posted on December 8, 2011 at 11:44pm
  I love your story :)
  
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- GhostOfJefferson
  Posted on December 8, 2011 at 11:44pm
  Welcome, fellow American, to America. :)
  
  I hope you and your family find many blessings here, as mine has.
  
  Slainte (salud!)
  
  Report this comment
- mom4times
  Posted on December 8, 2011 at 11:55pm
  Welcome……God Bless you : )
  
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AlaskaismyEden
Posted on December 8, 2011 at 11:30pm
Those who give are TRULY blessed, and a blessing to others.

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Treaty
Posted on December 8, 2011 at 11:30pm
That’s really nice but don’t forget that those of us that work pay the bills of people on food stamps and welfare every day. Unfortunately with Obama in the White House it’s become quite a big burden.

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- grannyjojo
  Posted on December 9, 2011 at 1:59am
  I don’t begrudge helping pay for those on food stamps who really need it, not one single bit! I’ve been there, had to be on food stamps for a year and it truly meant the difference sometimes on whether my children had a decent meal or not. I think what this secret santa did was AWESOME. I believe she will be blessed ten fold! God bless all here and I pray each and every one of you have a joyous CHRISTmas. “Every knee will bow and every tongue confess”
  
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EqualJustice
Posted on December 8, 2011 at 11:17pm
AWESOME! I wish I had enough money to do that. Even if you don’t have tons of money, you can volunteer your time and that’s just as important to many people, especially lonely ones in retirement homes. Bring your kids.. they LOVE it. :)

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mode101
Posted on December 8, 2011 at 11:16pm
Anyone want to be my dental bill, I need 10k worth of dental work ;O

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dealer@678
Posted on December 8, 2011 at 11:08pm
If only she would have said Merry Christmas instead of Happy Holidays. Was i wrong to think that

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- gov999
  Posted on December 9, 2011 at 3:16pm
  I agree, why didn’t any responders here notice the irony of the “Happy Holiday” greeting. Could it be store policy not to use Merry Christmas? (Nah)….That would be piling one irony upon another.
- pringles1
  Posted on December 10, 2011 at 1:29am
  Maybe she didn’t know their religious backgrounds and decided to go with holidays, just incase. They could be Pagan, Jewish, or Buddhist for all she knows.
  
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HotFixIt
Posted on December 8, 2011 at 11:05pm
I bet it felt wonderful to be able to do that for others. I do hope those who can, do continue this … it is great. If I had an income, I would be thrilled to go down to a store and do this also.

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Tulsatime
Posted on December 8, 2011 at 11:03pm
Hey Glenn, Can you talk about this tomorrow? I’m getting tired of the gloom.

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BONETRAUMA
Posted on December 8, 2011 at 10:58pm
Jesus lives.

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- GhostOfJefferson
  Posted on December 8, 2011 at 11:06pm
  Indeed. Now, stop commenting on the internet, and go do the same if you can afford it. Any amount helps, and don’t take credit. Let’s make this a movement of real charity.
  
  Get moving!
  
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- JACKW33
  Posted on December 9, 2011 at 9:31am
  I believe it!
  
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hi
Posted on December 8, 2011 at 10:57pm
That is so awesome!!! What a great idea to help the working poor.

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NotPoliticallyCorrect
Posted on December 8, 2011 at 10:54pm
Bravo!

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PurrrpleMtnMajesty
Posted on December 8, 2011 at 10:53pm
So great to hear some GOOD news.

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Grasshopper42
Posted on December 8, 2011 at 10:52pm
I’ve got to go wipe my eyes. Too cool . . .

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mom4times
Posted on December 8, 2011 at 10:48pm
Awwwwwww……got chillls allover and tears in my eyes……Merry Christmas

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randy
Posted on December 8, 2011 at 10:43pm
Gave me chills……. God bless these angels

And she didn’t even ask if they were democrats or republicans.

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maizie45
Posted on December 8, 2011 at 10:41pm
What an awesome idea!

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- mils
  Posted on December 8, 2011 at 10:53pm
  this is so good!…i had no idea you could do this!..always paying it forward!
  
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ARealCharliesAngel
Posted on December 8, 2011 at 10:40pm
Faith, Hope, & Charity…..We can continue to make a difference. GREAT story!

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- GhostOfJefferson
  Posted on December 8, 2011 at 11:26pm
  Yes, we can make a difference.
  
  Now, go out tomorrow and make a difference. Here’s an example to follow, go do it. Seriously. Every little bit helps.
  
  Report this comment

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