It's always a good idea to show kindness to others. Random acts of kindness
not only make the one performing them feel wonderful, but they can also
greatly assist the recipient. A television crew decided to use their
Surprise Squad at a nearby grocery shop in the Las Vegas region to help pay
for a few customers' groceries, only to discover that they had actually
assisted a hero.
In August 2017, Dave Hall and the Surprise Squad from Fox 5 teamed up with
Albertsons and Vons grocery shops to spread happiness and generosity by
offering to pay for a few customers' food purchases at Albertsons. They took
care of a few regular clients who had piled up some sizable bills as well as
a few folks who were short on funds. The Fox 5 Surprise Squad then consented
to assist a client and a friend of her spouse, who it turned out were also
veterans. They scarcely placed anything on the check-out conveyor belt since
they had been having financial difficulties.
Both men and women who serve make selfless, brave decisions. Even though
they are revered as heroes by many, many veterans still struggle when they
come home since they might not be eligible for any benefits or have other
means of support. A veteran received some financial assistance from the
Surprise Squad after just placing two things on the checkout conveyor belt.
The squad intervened and offered to pay for the veteran's necessary
supplies.
Helping the military
The Fox 5 Surprise Squad's catchphrase is "no man or woman left behind,"
and they demonstrated that they lived up to it in August 2017 when they came
upon two veterans in a grocery store in Las Vegas. They came into Stephanie
Sieverding, a crippled veteran who had been purchasing food for her dogs and
herself. She acknowledged to Hall that she had just $50 left. Fortunately,
before he spotted the man standing behind the appreciative woman, Hall had
paid for all of her items.
The man was a veteran named Larry Robeson who was also Sieverding's
husband's acquaintance. On the conveyor belt at the checkout, he only placed
two goods. Hall told Robeson, "You served us, now let us serve you," and
accompanied the guy on a full grocery shopping excursion. As Robeson shopped
for food and other supplies, he became quite upset and brushed away his
tears.
He added that 16 years ago, he founded a group called Bones for Blankets
with the goal of providing blankets to homeless veterans. Robeson wanted to
make a difference after his three brothers died from exposure, so he started
working with his club to assist other veterans as much as he could. Larry,
we strive to do good things for good people, so you deserve this," Hall said
to a still very emotional and incredulous Robeson.
Robeson filled a whole cart with goods, and the total was $278.55, the most
he had ever spent on shopping. Robeson was warmly compensated by the Fox 5
Surprise Squad for his contributions to his community and his country.
Since then, the Surprise Squad's tale has gained widespread traction,
garnering more than 1.3 million YouTube views in addition to hundreds of
supportive comments. Others noted that the film was enlightening, and
several viewers took the chance to thank the soldiers for their
service.
"His statement that several of his friends died from freezing broke my
heart. I intend to get some blankets. I urge others to donate them to the
homeless in the same way," one viewer said.
"Every service member deserves our appreciation, support, and respect as
civilians. Another viewer said, "They do so much for us and expect nothing
in return.
Even one of the viewers claims to have worked at the Albertsons in the
clip.
Thomas Bonifacio stated, "I work at this Albertsons, and I remember the day
this happened, and it never fails to make me cry."
21 out of every 10,000 veterans were homeless in 2019, which is slightly
more than the national average for homelessness, according to the National
Alliance to End Homelessness. Having said that, the group emphasizes that
there are some causes for optimism.
"In the ten years (2010–2019), the proportion of homeless veterans in
America was substantially cut in half. The drop from 74,087 to 37,085
veterans experiencing homelessness substantially outpaced the gains made by
chronically homeless persons and all other subpopulations,” the agency
reported.
There is still work to be done, though, and Robeson's charitable
organization continues to have a positive impact on his neighborhood.
"Larry, I want to thank you for your service to this nation and your
ongoing support of our veterans. Another spectator remarked, "You are an
incredible guy.
Tags:
Heartwarming