In times of tragedy, even the smallest act of kindness has a big impact.
This week, one anonymous donor from Newtown stepped up to help those in Boston in a small way in the aftermath of the Marathon Bombing with a simple gift -- the gift of Starbucks.
On Tuesday, when customers at the Boston Starbucks near the city’s government center went to pay, they were told to put their money away because someone from Newtown had paid forward $100 toward their orders.
It’s the same small, but appreciated gesture, that happened at the Newtown Starbucks after the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown.
People wanted so badly to help the community of Newtown that donations poured in with the hopes of brightening residents’ days during dark times.
And people have continued to “pay it forward” at the Newtown Starbucks throughout the weeks and months following the shooting, including on Wednesday.
“I was shocked. I was getting my money together and getting ready to pay for my order and she said that's the last on the card. I kind of looked at her puzzled and she said, ‘Somebody just came ahead of you and paid for your order,” said Kelley Grace, who works in Newtown and was buying an afternoon iced tea, which turned out to be a gift from a previous customer.
And, while Newtown baristas tell NBC Connecticut that this “Newtown niceness” has become commonplace, a Starbucks official said that right now, such “coffee kindness” is happening in stores throughout Boston.
“I think paying it forward is a really great thing. It's just an interesting idea to do it with Starbucks coffee,” Karen Kucinski, of Fairfield, said in the Newtown store on Wednesday.
“It certainly tells a lot about the community and the kind of people that are here,” Mandy Ives, of Newtown, said.
“It doesn't have to be grand or grandiose. It's just how you interact with each other on a daily basis,” Steve Mcinerney, of Newtown, said.
Photo Credit: Getty Images
