It’s inspiring to learn that many of us can take the roles of angels or superheroes when disaster strikes. One such example is an anonymous farmer in Florida who, while shopping at Costco, made the decision to help those devastated by Hurricane Dorian.
Secret shopper
The angel in disguise would have remained anonymous if not for the curiosity of Alex Sprague, a shopper at Costco who noticed the huge Costco bill of the guy playing ahead of him. Alex shopped for a generator when he saw that the guy was in the process of purchasing a hundred units of the same, all of which he planned to send to the Bahamas to aid the victims of Dorian.
Alex took it upon himself that such generosity shouldn’t go unnoticed. He took a picture of the benevolent man from behind. But the man didn’t want recognition, all he said was that he was a farmer. To spread the deed, he turned to social media where he shared the incident on Facebook.
Alex couldn’t let the act pass because the farmer’s kindness touched his heart. But he didn’t expect that his post would receive thousands of shares, likes, and comments. The multitude of touching thanks was for the anonymous farmer, not really for Alex. But that was completely fine with him.
Focusing on others’ needs
Even with the outpouring of gratitude for such a generous deed that praised his selfless actions, the farmer wished to remain unidentified. He just believed that he saw their need and felt compelled to fill it. He didn’t want to be the focus of the situation at hand, which should get veered towards the challenges faced by the survivors.
This deed was a simple demonstration of the importance of helping each other rather than doing nothing. The equipment got shipped to the Abaco and Grand Bahama, the two islands that suffered most because of Dorian’s onslaught. Apparently, it was also the unidentified hero’s personal mission to send such supplies to the islands.
He had a long-time farmer and boat captain friend, Errol Thurston, whose hometown got devastated by Dorian. This friend took pictures of the generators, chainsaws, and food waiting in the warehouse ready for shipping. These were also posted on Facebook with a very inspiring message – “Hold firm.”
One good deed revealed
Social media has really done wonders in sharing stories with the whole world about events that would have faded in the eyes of the public. The plight of the people of the Bahamas, for instance, where people got subjected to the fury of Dorian, a Category-5 hurricane that took the lives of many islanders.
For more than 48 hours, the storm caused record rains, ripped the roofs of houses and left the island’s major airport submerged and useless. Using social media, Thurston got to collect medicines, clothing, water, and food from different parts of Florida for sending to the Bahamas.
An awesome donor
Thurston and the anonymous benefactor have been friends since the 2000s. The scale of devastation brought about by hurricane Dorian required massive aid to hasten the island’s recovery.
Fortunately, we have good people such as this farmer and his friends who willingly do everything they can to help. Often, the internet is very heartless, but it can also be a tool where people’s reactions to inspiring stories can prove that kindness and positivity still exist.