Dan Neff liked to give direct gifts. Rather than giving a buck to a person at the roadside, he preferred to buy them a meal and then carry it back for them to enjoy it while it was hot. This philosophy explains how a family in Mira Loma got a generous donation of groceries.

Around 2004, while shopping at the Stater Bros. near our home, Dan walked by a woman with a baby who was standing with her mother asking for donations to buy food for her family. Dan told her he would like to buy groceries for her, but suggested that she take the basket through the store and select what she knew her family liked. He walked through the store as she filled her basket and at the check stand paid for the groceries as his gift of kindness to this family.

When he got home and told me about the shopping gift I said, “Wonderful! That was really kind.” Then he said, “Well….it was a bit pricier than I expected. $479.00 of groceries,” which gave me a bit of a shock. I reacted to the bill total, I won’t lie, but in the end I was so proud of him. Later, the story made the rounds in the family (Guess what dad did!!) and the consensus was, “Awe, Dad. How sweet!”

Dan gave a gift from his substance and modeled for me, and for our children, generosity and integrity. He stated his intention and when it cost more than he expected, he stood by his promise.

I’d love to see this gift passed on. If you choose this idea as your Act of Kindness, please name the story Food for a Family Two (or 3, or 4, or 5). Would love this generous act of kindness to go viral.