A thoughtful gesture from a stranger in a Colwood grocery store could be the catalyst for a wave kindness through the West Shore – and maybe beyond.
When Langford single dad Randall Alexander goes to the grocery store, he does his best to ‘shop healthy’ for his two kids – four-year-old Leia and six-year-old Luke – while also being mindful of his modest budget.
But on a recent trip in early April to the Sooke Road Save-On-Foods, Alexander miscalculated and found himself $20 over budget – leaving him facing some tough decisions.
“I was being so careful, just putting everything in the cart and trying to calculate everything … I wasn’t expecting it to go over the amount,” he said. “I was only trying to spend like $30 or $34 at most.”
Stepping out of line to quickly call family for help, Alexander was unable to find the few bucks he needed to cover the bill. But when he returned to the lineup, the cashier had surprising news for him.
“The lady that was behind me had ended up paying for my entire bill,” said Alexander. “It was about $55 or something … completely unexpected, never had anything like that happen to me before.”
Overwhelmed by the stranger’s generosity, Alexander says he was unsure what to say to the lady, simply offering her a hug as a way of saying thank you.
The drive home was also emotional for the dad. “I was on the verge of tears the whole way home, and then for most of the rest of the day as well … I just couldn’t believe that would happen.”
On reflection, Alexander wishes he had asked his Good Samaritan for her contact details so he could repay her in some way. An appeal for information on Facebook to help identify her failed to turn up any leads.
So instead, the single dad is considering how he can ‘pay it forward’ and help others in the community.
“I was trying to think of maybe doing some yard work or something for people,” said the single dad, who is setting up his own gardening business.
And after reading about the small community of people living in their recreational vehicles in Langford in the Goldstream Gazette, Alexander says he also wants to reach out to them to explore how he can help in any small way he can.
“This experience has made me think that even helping that one person matters,” he said.
Alexander also hopes sharing his story might cause a ripple of kindness through the community. “Just keep an eye out for people that need help,” he says. “Don't walk by them.”
But he’s still hopeful he might one day get the opportunity to ‘give back’ to the grocery store stranger who helped him on April 4. “Or even somebody that she knows that could use a little bit of help,” says Alexander.
