It's the season of gifting and sharing, and you can spread the love anywhere, like the Texan grocery bagger who paid for a customer's items. A Texan woman in Annaville, Maria Balboa, went viral for her kind act after assisting an older lady with her grocery bills.
Balboa noticed the woman struggling at the cashier's till and decided to save her the embarrassment of dropping her groceries. A local news outlet caught wind of the story and covered it.
Read the full story below.
The older lady visited the store with her two grandchildren to shop for their holiday meal. Unfortunately, the total order came to $137, which was $118 more than her available balance on her assistance card.
Being a woman of faith, Balboa felt a spiritual nudge to step in and save the day. She did so without thinking twice until she returned to work the next day. Balboa's manager informed her that the older lady left a gratitude note in a store survey on her way out.
According to the note, the older lady struggled with bills but wanted to treat her grandchildren for the holidays. When she realized they went over the budget, she almost cried from embarrassment until Balboa rescued her, which led her to tears (happy tears.)
The H-E-B manager reimbursed Balboa $137 and curated a goody basket to appreciate her kind act. The post from Balboa showed up on her stories, confirming that this incident happened during Easter but remains relevant during the Christian Christmas holiday.
The bagger ended her post by saying, "Always be kind and do a good deed for someone when you can. It can be something as simple as holding the door open for a stranger or complimenting them."
Local news station, KZTV, spoke to Balboa's Manager, Mark Moeller, who praised the employee for reflecting the company's values. Moeller said Balboa's kind act mirrored the partner's relationship with the community.
Balboa especially moved her management because she's also a regular young girl in school trying to make ends meet, so $137 was a lot for her. She'd only worked at the company for two months when she made the post, but it was enough to leave a lasting impression on everyone.
Moeller added, "It’s pretty special when you consider someone who is in school and just trying to make ends meet, we were very proud of her."
