The amazing story of one young man’s astounding act of kindness has been warming hearts across the length and breadth of the internet in recent months.
Working in the service industry can be a challenging job.
Working in any area of the service industry can feel like an unrewarding and thankless job at times.
However, there are some workers who get the recognition they deserve for going above and beyond the call of duty.
One of these people is John Lopez Jr.!
19-year-old Lopez had taken a job at his local Walmart in order to help save money to pay for his college tuition, CBS Dallas reports .
However, Lopez dipped into his own pocket and savings when it came to helping someone in need.
Lopez was working one day when he saw a customer struggling to pay for her groceries.
When Lopez was faced with a woman who was struggling to pay for her groceries bill, which totalled a not meagre $110, Lopez spared no hesitation in offering to help the struggling customer.
Lopez’ unbelievable act of kindness was witnessed by another customer, who took to Facebook to share an image of the scene and share the story.
Lopez was apparently already known for being a kind and courteous person.
One Laci Simms, who witnessed the selfess act, posted a photo of the moment to Facebook and wrote an accompanying message, writing:
“I just witnessed this ‘kid’ pay for a cart of merchandise for a woman in obvious distress about her inability to pay. She was a few people ahead of us and when she had trouble paying her bill he stepped in and told her if she’d wait he would pay her total. Ya’ll, it was $110 dollars!” she wrote .
She went on to commend Lopez’ general demeanour as well, continuing as such:
“He is always singing, upbeat, courteous, joyful and efficient. I don’t know John’s story, but I don’t think he is even 20 years old. He just renewed my faith in humanity and the generation we are raising! Everyone share this so the world knows what a blessing John is to our community!”
Walmart even shared the post on their page, praising Lopez for his actions.
Lopez’ actions quickly went viral, with the Facebook post detailing his act receiving thousands upon thousands of shares and likes.
Walmart even shared the post to their official page, writing, “John is a shining example to all of us this holiday season, and we’re proud he’s on our team.”
Other messages from the public included the likes of:
“That was sweet of him to use his whole pay-check to pay for her goods. Way to go John!”
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“Thank you and God bless you John!! You have a beautiful heart.”
The good deed also attracted the attention of one other good citizen.
Lopez’ actions caught the eye of a fellow local citizen, Brandon Weddle, who set upa. GoFundMe page for Lopez in order for people to help out with Lopez’ college tuition as thank you for his actions.
Lopez’ GoFundMe page has since received a staggering $37,087 in donations, which he says will be put towards his college tuition!
Lopez was also personally thanked by the Princeton Mayor.
A special event was set up in order to honor Lopez, with the event even including a speech from Princeton Mayor John-Mark Caldwell after which he presented Lopez with a special certificate.
Lopez said that he was just acting how his mom and dad taught him to act, with his mother proudly saying: “That’s just my son. We tell him always to help people.”
Hopefully, this will inspire others to go that extra mile to help others.
Teenagers get a lot of flack in the media, and are often represented as uncaring, lazy, and angry; however, this goes to show that there are teenagers out there who go above and beyond to help others and contribute to society in a positive way.
We could all take something from Lopez’s attitude towards life, as in his own words, “I make it my goal to at least in one way make someone smile”.
h/t: CBS DFW
