A few people stopped and I explained the rules:
*You can't keep it yourself
*You can't be a relative or someone you live with
*The money needs to be a friend or a neighbor or someone from a church group who is going through a particularly hard time.
*They have to be available RIGHT THEN for the surprise!
Mary Bruce was so determined to talk with us, we had to convince her to go park her car first. She nominated Carol Rice.
Turns out Mary and Carol live in low income housing designed for people with neurological disease. Everyone in the complex is disabled and on a fixed income. They help each other get by. And now a change in Medicaid means they have to pay a copay for their prescriptions.
"There's times when we don't have money for food," Mary Bruce told us.
Carol's service dog, Tain, helps her pick up things, open doors, and even get dressed in the morning. She's been putting off Tain's vet visit because of the lack of money, but she relies on the dog for day to day help so she has to keep him healthy.
So, this month that means Carol doesn't have money for food and $600 make all the difference.
Carol's face spoke volumes. "I love you so much!"
I counted out the money to Mary, and then Mary gave the $600 to Carol.
Carol raised 3 children as a single parent, but now she's too sick to work.
"I was a professional," Carol told us. "I was a nurse and this is... how I ended up."
