An Arkansas woman gave numerous shoppers a huge surprise at two Kroger grocery stores in Little Rock and North Little Rock on Tuesday.
When Ashley Ann Jones learned about the long lines at food banks and the impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on people’s jobs, she decided to do something to help, according to KNWA.
“I was like, I’m going to buy groceries,” Jones said, adding, “Story after story about people getting laid off, or furloughed or just lost their company.”
Video footage showed Jones, who is a local business owner and social media strategist, bagging people’s groceries in the Kroger checkout lines.
She bought $28,000 worth of groceries for the unsuspecting and thankful shoppers.
“Really exciting to be in the position to be able to do that. And I would much rather give the money directly to the community,” Jones said.
“A lot of those areas I looked over, the communities are underserved, and there were so many people that were there, they were in shock. They were in disbelief,” she continued.
Instagram users praised Jones for her kindness and generosity, calling the gift “beautiful” and “thoughtful.”
“That’s amazing. I love this so much. I didn’t think of this before. You’ve inspired us to do this too one day,” one person wrote.
“This is the BEST gift ever! I’m sure those families were so grateful! And how awesome it must feel to give such a gift! Merry Christmas!!!” another commented.
Now, Jones said she hopes her actions will inspire other people to give back to their own community members in need during the Christmas season and beyond.
“But you do what you can where you are,” she commented, adding that she is looking forward to doing something like this for her neighbors again in the near future.
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