Unidentified man pays for groceries at Hometown

Published 2:00 am Thursday, December 23, 2010

Grocery store clerk Shelia Newton was checking out a customer at Hometown Grocery in Athens on Monday, when a tall, middle-age gentleman stepped up beside the woman in line and said, ”I’m your secret Santa today.”

The generous stranger was at the South Jefferson Street store to cover the woman’s $84 grocery tab.

“He swiped his card through the card reader and before the receipt even came out, he was gone,” Newton said. “I was stunned. Someone coming up and paying for someone’s groceries. Stuff like that doesn’t happen that much anymore.”

Newton and the customer were speechless.

“We just looked at each other,” Newton said. “She thought I knew him and I thought she knew him. I just told her that her groceries were paid for.”

Secret Santa has struck at Hometown at least once before, possibly more, in recent days, said clerk Kristen McCubbins of Athens.

“He looks for someone less fortunate, walks up and buys their groceries,” she said.

Newton said one of the other clerks told her the man was in the store the day before and paid for $140 worth of groceries for someone.

Joanne Allen was shopping at Hometown when she witnessed one of the random acts of kindness.

“It was so neat,” Allen said. “People just walk up at the end of an order and say, ‘Merry Christmas, I am paying for your

groceries.’ Then, they just walk off. The people are shocked and very touched.”

She hopes the story will encourage others to give in this manner this season.

People need help buying even small amounts of groceries this time of year. It is something Newton sees often.

“The other day there was an older man in here and he had $20 worth of groceries — coffee, flour, things he really needed, not junk,” Newton said. “But, he only had $11 in food stamps, so he had to put some things back.”