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Woman discovers $100 while shopping at Walmart with a special message from stranger

Back in 2017, a woman spotted an envelope lying at a Walmart store with an important message.
PUBLISHED JUL 21, 2024
Cover image source: Walmart store | Getty Images | Photo by VIEWpress
Cover image source: Walmart store | Getty Images | Photo by VIEWpress

Social media has plenty of heartwarming stories, but stories like this Walmart shopper's are hard to come by. Back in 2017, Julia Stultz found a $100 lying on the floor of a Walmart store. While it appeared that it was dropped by accident, Stutlz realized that it was left with a purpose.

Walmart logo is shown on the front of a Walmart store| Getty Images | Photo by Scott Olson
Getty Images | Photo by Scott Olson

As per The Sun, Stultz from Charlotte, North Carolina, was shopping in the children's clothing section with her son when she spotted an envelope lying on the floor. Initially, the mother-son duo didn't think much of it. Later, they found out that the envelope had $100 and was part of a game to honor World Kindness Day on November 13. The front of the envelope read, "With Love, Amen". Upon turning it around, Stultz found that it had some instructions for the finder.

"If this card has found you, open it. It's yours," the back of the card read, according to Fox News affiliate WJZY. However, the card encouraged the finders to pass it on to someone further, in the hopes that people would show kindness to others and honor the occasion. 

Representative image | Getty Images | Photo by Scott Olson
Representative image | Getty Images | Photo by Scott Olson

On the inside, the envelope had a card that read, "May this gift bring you a little peace today. One day, please pay it forward," as per images shared by Stultz. The mystery person signed off at the end as "Your Friend." The viral story touched the lives of millions across the globe including fellow shoppers at the store. 

Fellow customer Akili Omari who heard about the card was inspired to start his own pay-it-forward chain, he told The Sun. 

In a similar heartwarming story last year, a TikTok creator with over 3 million followers used her leverage to help a homeless family. Influencer Jackie Gansy met Hugh and his three sons when they were sleeping in their van, during the extreme summer heat.

She spotted them while she was visiting a park in West Hollywood, abc7 report. She told the news outlet that she saw them struggling in the heat and decided to approach. She suggested they get into a motel and told them that together they could start a fundraiser page to help the community come together. 

Hugh told abc7 that his family had been homeless for seven months. He said he stayed awake at night to look after his kids as they were suffering a lot. "The boys wake up with bloody noses from the heat," Hugh told the news outlet.

Looking at their condition, Gansy and her friend Anna Noel Olson helped the family get a room for a few days. They also set up a GoFundMe page with an aim to raise $150,000. With the influencer's help, the fundraiser received over $60,000, which soon went up to $100,000.



 

In a span of about a week, Hugh's family went from being homeless to looking for an apartment to buy. Gansky and her friends set up a bank account for him, and they were happy to give some guidance on budgeting. Hugh's kids were also on track to go to school as soon as they had a permanent address.

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