There
are some people who look down on others who use welfare cards. In case you’re
unaware, welfare cards are something similar to a credit card used for
food/groceries and paid by the government. People have accused people using
these cards to “get a job” or blame them for their own poverty.
These
people are wrong. Welfare is not something you want to rely on in your life but
this story will show you the right way to treat the next person you encounter
using a welfare card.
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‘Some
people!’ snorted a man standing behind me in the long line at the grocery
store.
‘You
would think the manager would pay attention and open another line,’ said a
woman.
I
looked to the front of the line to see what the hold up was and saw a
well-dressed, young woman trying to get the machine to accept her credit card.
No matter how many times she swiped it, the machine kept rejecting it.
‘It’s
one of them welfare card things. Damn people need to get a job like everyone
else,’ said the man standing behind me.
The
young woman turned around to see who had made the comment.
‘It
was me,’ he said, pointing to himself.
The
young lady’s face began to change expression. Almost in tears, she dropped the
welfare card onto the counter and quickly walked out of the store. Everyone in
the checkout line watched as she began running to her car. Never looking back,
she got in and drove away.
After
developing cancer in 1977 and having had to use food stamps, I had learned
never to judge anyone without knowing the circumstances of their life. This
turned out to be the case today.
Several
minutes later a young man walked into the store. He went up to the cashier and
asked if she had seen the woman. After describing her, the cashier told him
that she had run out of the store, got into her car, and drove away.
‘Why
would she do that?’ asked the man. Everyone in the line looked around at the
fellow who had made the statement.
‘I
made a stupid comment about the welfare card she was using. Something I
shouldn’t have said. I’m sorry,’ said the man.
‘Well,
that’s bad, real bad, in fact. Her brother was killed in Afghanistan two years
ago. He had three young children and she has taken on that responsibility.
She’s twenty years old, single, and now has three children to support,’ he said
in a very firm voice.
‘I’m
really truly sorry. I didn’t know,’ he replied, shaking both his hands about.
The
young man asked, ‘Are these paid for?’ pointing to the shopping cart full of
groceries.
‘It
wouldn’t take her card,’ the clerk told him.
‘Do
you know where she lives?’ asked the man who had made the comment.
‘Yes,
she goes to our church.’
‘Excuse
me,’ he said as he made his way to the front of the line. He pulled out his
wallet, took out his credit card and told the cashier, ‘Please use my card.
PLEASE!’ The clerk took his credit card and began to ring up the young woman’s
groceries.
Hold
on,’ said the gentleman. He walked back to his shopping cart and began loading
his own groceries onto the belt to be included. ‘Come on people. We got three
kids to help raise!’ he told everyone in line.
Everyone
began to place their groceries onto the fast moving belt. A few customers began
bagging the food and placing it into separate carts. ‘Go back and get two big
turkeys,’ yelled a heavyset woman, as she looked at the man.
‘NO,’
yelled the man. Everyone stopped dead in their tracks. The entire store became
quiet for several seconds. ‘Four turkeys,’ yelled the man. Everyone began
laughing and went back to work.
When
all was said and done, the man paid a total of $1,646.57 for the groceries. He
then walked over to the side, pulled out his check book, and began writing a
check using the bags of dog food piled near the front of the store for a
writing surface. He turned around and handed the check to the young man. ‘She
will need a freezer and a few other things as well,’ he told the man.
The
young man looked at the check and said, ‘This is really very generous of you.’
‘No,’
said the man. ‘Her brother was the generous one.’
Everyone
in the store had been observing the odd commotion and began to clap. And I
drove home that day feeling very united.
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Source
: www.upmoments.com