Monica Deal of Centerville organized an outing of 11 friends at the Cracker Barrel restaurant on Wilmington Pike this morning.
Deal said when the group finished their meal, she told their waitress, Angela Fuller, she had a question about the bill.
“I said ‘Angela, we just really want to thank you and hope you have a really happy holiday season.’”
Then she handed her $1,000.
“It was wonderful! We were all in tears,” Deal said. “She was crying and everyone at the table was crying. It was beautiful.”
“I think it is so important to believe in the magic and the humanity in the community,” Deal said. “Dayton has stepped forward in so many huge ways this year and it’s important that we keep that magic alive.”
Fuller, of West Carrollton, has worked at Cracker Barrel for 18 years and said something like this has never happened to her before.
“I was speechless. I cried,” Fuller said. “I was overwhelmed and most importantly, I was very thankful.”
She said she plans to use the money to help pay bills and to buy Christmas gifts and pajamas for veterans at the Dayton VA Medical Center, where she and her fiancé volunteer.
“There’s still a lot of good people out there who appreciate helping each other and paying it forward,” Fuller said.
“Especially in this world with everything that’s going on, it just makes you feel good to know there is still good out there.”
Last week, we reported two acts of kindness in which different groups of good Samaritans left large tips at local restaurants. The generosity is infectious.
Nicole Perry, a waitress at George's Family Restaurant in Dayton for 17-years, received a $1,500 tip from a group of 16 breakfast diners this morning.
“It really shocked me,” she said. “I think it’s awesome.”
Perry said the money will help her make repairs on her home. She lost her garage, a privacy fence and two vehicles during the Memorial Day tornadoes.
“Recovery has been a long process,” she said.
Vicki Giambrone, who helped organize a "Breakfast Santa" outing last week, was part of the group at George's.
“Dayton is having such a hard year, and we just wanted to do something totally unexpected and fun,” she said. “It’s a way to show people that we care about each other.”
More kindhearted news is expected. Giambrone and her group have another outing planned — but the location and date are a secret.
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