Victorian Mum Shares ‘Incredible’ Random Act Of Kindness
A Victorian mum was left floored after buying a second-hand car and discovering the owner had left her a gift of “incredible thoughtfulness”
By Sarah McPhee
A single mother has shared an “incredible” act of kindness that brought her to tears after she purchased a second-hand car.
Jen Willis, from the Victorian town of Daylesford, northwest of Melbourne, bought the vehicle privately last week but soon discovered the owner had left her a heartwarming surprise.
A white envelope containing three $50 notes had been tucked between the sun visor and roof.
“This is a random act of kindness,” the note reads.
“Please use to spoil your family in a way that makes you happy.
“Just felt it on my heart to do this for you, in what sounded like a challenging time for you.”
Ms Willis said it was “such a beautiful random act of kindness” to be gifted.
“With only one adult now in our household here in Daylesford, I did a two for one with our cars and sold our Prado and Suzuki Swift to a dealer and bought a Subaru Outback privately and when I pulled down the sun visor as I went to drive my new car home, this fell into my lap,” she wrote on Facebook.
“Needless to say, I teared up instantly with this incredible thoughtfulness!”
Ms Willis said she had just separated from her husband who was moving back to the US when she was looking for “that exact car, a used Subaru Outback but with all the safety features”.
“I now only needed one car for my boys and I, and because I also have MS (multiple sclerosis), I also wanted one that was going to be easy to drive as well as I can get quite tired driving,” she told news.com.au.
“I also shared that our little boy had not been well – we thought it may have been quite serious, but thankfully it’s not, and that I also worked full-time, and so was under a lot of pressure and so having the car part of working out my new life was just such a relief.”
Ms Willis told news.com.au she initially thought the owner must have kept money stashed there and forgotten about it.
“Then when I turned it over and read the beautiful message and realised it was a gift for me, I was overwhelmed, and of course started to cry a little!” she said.
She said the note was from the car owner and his wife.
“He was a lovely guy in his 60s, a very genuine person,” she said.
Ms Willis shared the note on The Kindness Pandemic Facebook page where it had been liked more than 9500 times and attracted almost 300 comments by Wednesday night.
One woman wrote: “An amazing person to do this. I hope it helps brighten your day.”
“Teared up myself. How lovely,” another said.
The gift of “three pineapples” was described by another commenter as “so generous”.
The public Facebook group has gained more than 570,000 members since it was created by Dr Catherine Barrett in Australia in March 2020.
“We set up #TheKindnessPandemic because so many people need acts of kindness right now; and so many others want to hear stories of kindness,” the page states.
“Kindness won’t make COVID-19 go away, but it will make our lives easier and more rewarding.
“We particularly encourage intergenerational kindness, but welcome you sharing all Acts Of Kindness.”
Ms Willis said her two sons thought it would be nice to divide the $150 by the three of them.
“My daughter is 19 and lives in Brisbane and so she was just excited for me,” she said.
The mother-of-three is planning to take her boys out to Sault Restaurant in Daylesford.
“(It’s) a bit above my price range, so we will use it to go for a dinner there,” she said.
Random Act Of Kindness For Melbourne Café Owner Was A ‘Beautiful Gesture’ - Such A Nice Thoughtful Patron
Melbourne café owner Pierre Patole has told Sky News about the “beautiful gesture” of one of his customers who anonymously donated their $750 Coronavirus Supplement to help him stay open and give back to the community. Mr Patole’s Café Timbuktu only opened four months ago and as a result is ineligible for the government’s JobKeeper payment, which has made it difficult to remain open amid restrictions on the hospitality sector. “We’ve tried to adapt to a new market,” he said but the business has experienced a downturn due to the Coronavirus restrictions on Cafes and Restaurants.
Melbourne cafe gives customers free food and coffee after kind-hearted businesswoman from another state makes a donation to Covid-stricken city
By Peter Vincent For Daily Mail Australia
A donation from an interstate businesswoman has brightened the day of cafe customers during Melbourne's extended lockdown.
The Light Years Cafe in Hawthorn East received a $100 donation from a Tasmanian business owner on Wednesday.
The café decided to pay it forward rather than pocket the cash, and used it to treat glum customers enduring their fourth lockdown in a year.
It was due to last seven days but on Wednesday the government announced Melbourne would be shut down for another week in accordance with its strategy to eliminate the virus.
State government sources predict restrictions may be in place for weeks.
While hospitality venues are closed for dining in in Melbourne, they are open for takeaway orders.
It gave away free food and coffee for half an hour before the money ran out.
The cafe's owner, Sharon, told 9News the donation was unexpected.
'It was out of nowhere - she just wanted to donate $100,' she said.
'It was definitely a generous gesture because they are all the way in Tasmania and we are in Victoria.'
Meanwhile, another generous Melbourne café owner decided to give away coffees to anyone left without work or 'having a hard time' during the state's tough coronavirus lockdown.
Jethro Canteen in Richmond, in the city's inner suburbs, put up a chalkboard sign on Monday offering free coffee for the seven days in a heartfelt act of kindness.
'If you're a shift worker/casual employee who has been stood down, have lost shifts during the next week or just having a hard time, coffee for the next seven days is free,' the sign read.
Mystery Coles Cashier’s Unbelievable Act For Desperate Dad
A Coles customer has revealed a cashier’s extraordinary act during a recent trip to his local store.
Adelaide dad Rowan said he was caught short at the self-service checkout when he went to pay for his groceries and realised he’d left his wallet at home.
Rather than leave the store empty-handed, a nearby Coles cashier worker offered to pay for his groceries - as a generous act of kindness.
Sharing on Facebook, Rowan said he was blown away by the employee’s actions.
“I was in Coles today with my three-year-old son and after scanning all my items, I put my hand in my pocket and then realised I had left my wallet at home,” he said.
“I explained to the nice ... self-checkout assistant lady that I’d have to go back home and get my wallet and that I didn’t live too far.
“I started walking off when she said, ‘Wait! I can pay for it. So you don’t have to come back’.”
After accepting her kind offer, the cashier asked Rowan to do one thing in exchange.
“She said, ‘No worries. Just pay for someone else’s groceries when you can’,” he said.
The dad went on to express regret that he didn’t ask the worker for her name, saying he “thanked her a lot” but was busy with his young son and failed to check her name tag.
“I wish I knew her name,” he said.
“She went above and beyond the call of duty.”
ADS7
Mum Leaves Hospital To Find Parking Ticket And A Surprise From A Stranger by Taylor Pittman
A "lovely lady named Laura" made this mom's day.
A small act of kindness can make a big difference, especially for a mom leaving the hospital.
In a post that has gone viral on Facebook, an unidentified mother wrote that after being in the hospital with her 9-week-old son she found a parking ticket on her car along with a note from a stranger named Laura.
Over the past few days I have been in hospital with my 9 week old son. We were discharged today and as I walked to my car I noticed that I had a parking ticket. After those days in hospital, a parking ticket was one more thing that I didn't need.
To my surprise, when I opened the envelope there was a note from a lovely lady named Laura (attached).
I hope that Laura sees this and knows how much I appreciate her support.
Thank you so much.
"I saw your car had a parking ticket on it. I’m sure whatever you are going through at hospital is tough enough so I have paid for you," the note reads. At the end of the note, the stranger added, "Hope things get better!"
The photo was posted on the Facebook page of Canberra Mums, which helps connect expecting, new and experienced mothers. Since being posted on Aug. 9, it has been liked more than 89,000 times. Commenters have used it to share their experiences with receiving parking tickets while at the hospital.
"We got 4 parking fines in 1 week when our little man was in the NICU!! What a beautiful thing to do," one commenter wrote.
This mom's experience wasn't so bad and it's all because of one stranger's selfless act.
H/T BuzzFeed
Kindness In A Time Of Coronavirus: The Heartwarming Acts Bringing Aussies Together
When Aussie DJ Helena Ellis spotted an elderly man at the supermarket, staring at empty shelves that would usually be filled with bread, she knew she had to act.
"My heart broke. I had gotten the last two hot dog bun packs and gave him one out of my trolley," she wrote on Facebook.
"I said, 'At least it's still bread' and he laughed and thanked me ... I felt that was the least I could have done for him."
Ellis urged her followers to look out for vulnerable people in their community, be they neighbours or strangers on the street.
"Don't be consumed by greed. Love your neighbour."
SBS host Lucy Zelić was touched to find a note from her elderly neighbour Jan outside her door.
"I have a pack of mince and a bag of pasta for you. Come over when you are free," it read.
Zelić shared the note on Twitter, writing: "When I saw [Jan] after a trip to the supermarket yesterday, I mentioned that there was no mince or pasta ... she woke up early this morning to help."
The very definition of 'love your neighbour'.
Pete The Generous Hands Out $100 bills To Melbourne Centrelink Queue
7 NEWS March 2020
A man dubbed “Pete the generous” has touched hearts of hundreds of out-of-work Melburnians after he handed out some of his wealth to people queuing amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Over the past few days, thousands of people have queued at Centrelink locations across the city and Pete said he started trembling after seeing the number of people.
“I thought, we’ve got to start doing something about this,” he told 7NEWS.
The 62-year-old cafe owner rushed to his local bank and withdrew $10,000 in $100 notes.
He then headed straight to the Centrelink queue in Box Hill and started handing out the bills.
“I started at the back of the queue and then basically handed everybody a $100 note,” he said.
‘I started at the back of the queue and then basically handed everybody a $100 note.’
“There were tears and disbelief. $100 is not a lot of money, but four or five bags of food meant a lot to these people.”
Pete has been forced to close his cafe in the city and has laid off 12 staff members.
“We’re all traumatised,” he said.
Mystery Woman Pays Off $16K Worth Of Customer Lay-Bys At Gold Coast Toy Store
7 NEWS December 2020
You couldn’t get a more heart-warming story than this one.
A mystery shopper has paid off $16,000 worth of gifts on lay-by at a toy shop on the Gold Coast to spread Christmas cheer to Aussies doing it tough.
Watch the video above
Staff at Mr Toys Toyworld at Burleigh Waters said a woman came into the store last Thursday and paid the outstanding balances on more than 80 lay-bys.
She didn’t provide any details or ask for any recognition, simply saying she wanted to help others following a challenging year.
Single mum-of-two Alannah Loadsman, who had put down a $60 deposit on a $300 dollhouse, found out about the kind gesture when she rang the store.
“I called two days ago to add something to my lay-by and was advised that it had been paid off,” she explained on Sunrise.
“They told me the lovely lady had come in and paid for everyone’s lay-by - it was just amazing.
Describing the act as “the most beautiful thing to do,” a “grateful” Loadsman said she would love to give the woman a “big hug” if we ever find out who she is.
PRAISE GOD FOR SUCH LOVELY PEOPLE LIKE THESE. IT'S NICE TO HEAR THEIR STORIES. I ALWAYS LIKE TO SPREAD A WORD OF CHEER WHEN I'M OUT IN THE SHOPPING CENTRES AND GIVE SOME SMILES AWAY. THEY'RE FREE TO GIVE AND CAN LIFT SOMEONES DAY - SOMETHING MOST OF US CAN DO, AYE?