Young Bagger At H-E-B Pays A Stranger’s $137 Grocery Bill

We sometimes see the difficulty that someone else is facing and we don’t have an opportunity to do something about it. That wasn’t the case for Maria Balboa, however, a college student and bagger who works at the H-E-B in Corpus Christi.

She was working recently when an elderly woman came in with two little boys. She was getting ready to pay, but unfortunately, her SNAP card only had $19 left on it. She couldn’t afford to pay the rest.

As the woman was busy separating what she needed for dinner that evening, Maria asked the cashier what the total was. It was $137.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

According to her Facebook post, Maria said: “Immediately I heard a voice inside my head saying, ‘pay for the groceries’. I stopped to think for a second but then I heard again, ‘Pay for the groceries Maria!'”

Although the woman tried to refuse the offer, Maria was insistent and she ended up paying the bill that day. Although it was a lot of money for a young college student, she knew that it was possible she would get it back on payday, but then again, maybe she wouldn’t.

The next time she came to work, she was called to the manager’s office. At first, she thought she was in trouble but then the manager turned to her and handed her a survey that was filled out by the woman.

Photo: flickr/Jennifer Kramer

The woman explained that she was going through financial difficulty and was trying to provide for her two grandchildren. She went on to say: “I was ashamed not having enough money and she insisted to pay for them,” the woman wrote in the survey. “Today she made me cry but happy tears. Thank you from the heart for [your] kindness. My grandkids and I have managed to pull through since January it’s been very tough but God put this young lady at the bagging area for us. I wish I could have gotten her name.”

Maria broke down in tears. The manager of the store, Mark Moeller, reimbursed her all $137 and she also got some additional groceries for herself.

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=987468928826515&set=a.496042597969153

The news was shared in a Facebook post, where she said:

“I was so grateful for their kindness as well as to the lady for writing the survey. Hearing her words made me realize that it’s small things like paying for groceries that can help people out in ways we don’t even know. With that being said: Always be kind and do a good deed for someone when you can. It can be something as simple as holding the door open for a stranger or complimenting them. Good things done always come back in ways we may not even realize. Always be good to the people around you, because you never know what someone else might have going on. Thank you for reading and be kind!”