Struggling Woman Has $375 Worth Of Groceries Covered By A Kind Stranger, Later Finds Out It’s Ludacris
Back in late July Therra Jaramillo, a writer from Atlanta, went to Whole Foods to get groceries and food for her animal rescue operation. Therra has been struggling financially since her husband died of cancer four years ago, so it was not an ordinary day at the grocery store for her. “I met the love of my life, Native American performer John Jaramillo and we married. It was bliss on a level I’d never known before. When I lost him to vicious brain cancer in 2014 after a roller coaster ride of a year and a half, I was exhausted and beat. We had insurance, but his illness still took everything we had,” she told Bored Panda. As it turns out, she only went to the store because her friend sent her a gift card. Otherwise, she would have been unable to buy anything.
Little did Therra knew that at the same store a famous rapper Ludacris had been shopping too. They accidentally met each other at check out, and he kindly offered to pay for her groceries. When asked how did it made her feel, Therra said, “My life changed after the Ludacris’ random act of kindness. At first, I was embarrassed that the story went viral. I thought, ‘Oh great. Now the whole world knows my financial woes.’ I felt kind of…I don’t know…ashamed. But then I started getting notes and tweets from all over the world. The good people who had been through real hardship and wanted to encourage ME. One woman wrote that she’d recently lost her husband to brain cancer and the year before they’d lost their girls in a car accident. My God. My heart shattered, thinking about what she had been through. And she wanted to encourage ME. I was humbled.’
Read how the story unfolded below
However, the story has not ended here. Therra decided to repay Ludacris for his kindness and found the best way to do that. “I came up with the idea to raise money for his foundation because in addition to be a writer, and I worked in non-profits for decades. I thought, well, he doesn’t need me to pay back the money…he did that purely from his good heart…but what if I can raise some bucks for his foundation? So I did. I started a Facebook fundraiser. It was successful, and I was so touched by the response. I wanted to raise the $375 he was kind enough to spend on me and my rescued pets, and it ended up raising about $1200. I think people felt good bringing back the faith in humanity,” she said. Therra shared the invaluable story this experience had taught her, “In our world, we all have the ability to be good, but we often choose otherwise. I will tell you that I learned this: Kindness is a currency. Perhaps the only currency where the more you spend, the richer you get.”
238Kviews
Share on FacebookRefreshing, pure and simple. You know his Mama raised him the right way, God Bless him.
I've had these mysterious super heros step into my life when my light was out a time or two. You never know what people are going through.
"You never know what people are going through". Damn right. Everyone has a cross to bear, some quite severe, and some peoples are harder to see than others. I literally did the hand covering the gasping open mouth under wide eyes thing after seeing the part about the woman who lost her kids and then her husband. Fuuuuuuuuuuck. I've been through some s**t, but not like that. I can't even begin to comprehend. Also, Ludacris is awesome and I think I'll buy one of his albums I don't have yet on principle.
Load More Replies...Okay, my eyeballs have officially sprung a leak. Luda is my new favorite man and this woman is my new favorite woman. So many people on this planet suck so bad, but these two are proof that there's hope for us yet.
This is beautiful. I have a similar story; my health insurance payment didn't come out as there weren't enough funds for the payment to go through. A woman from the company called me as asked if I could make the payment, but there was no way. I explained that I'd not long had a baby, and our car had needed repairing and we'd have to cancel the insurance. "But you have a young family", she said, but I just could not make the payment. Later that night I got a call from a private number; it was the woman from the insurance company. She told me she felt compelled to help, and she had chosen to pay the monthly instalment herself, and hopefully we would be able to get back on track by the next month. I was gobsmacked, and spent the next hour trying to convince her she didn't have to do that...but she did. Refused to give me her details because she didn't want to be paid back. I've never forgotten, and I hope she was blessed as much as she blessed me that day.
I worked in retail many years. You would be surprised how often this kind of thing happens especially around the holidays. Lots of great people out there. Wtg Chris ;)
One time, my husband and I were at a grocery store getting a cake for his birthday. When we checked out, our card was declined. We were embarrassed, and I was upset. The man in line behind us offered to pay for the cake. I know I will never forget that kind man.
Load More Replies...Pretty impressed Luda actually does his own grocery shopping. Cool story too
So nice that some ppl are glad when they get help. I bought grocieries for a ‘friend’ once, for a big sum. She told she was broke and horrified that she couldn’t give herself or cats any food. We went to the grocery store. When we came back to her place she didn’t even say thanks, asked if I could pay her bills too. I told her I don’t have money enough myself for that too. One week later she showed me she’s been shopping a soap bar for $70.. And she started being mean to me. When I got really sick she told me that it’s only in my head etc. I have stopped helping ppl too much after that. But it makes me happy to read this article.
Read the whole story before commenting such judgemental c**p. She specifically stated that she would never shop there but she had a gift voucher from a friend.
Load More Replies...I actually had a stranger pay for my baby's nappies. Nappies are quite expensive in my country and I was relatively broke at that time. Angels don't always have wings ;)
If I win the lottery, I wanna set aside a small amount of money for myself and use the rest to help people. Just being the nice guy can get you a lot.
I often think of my heart as pumice, hard and full of holes. But I’m quite literally crying on the bus. Thank you to all the angels like Ludacris, the original poster, and everyone who has helped, been helped, and shared their stories. I’m in a tough, long haul, and you all are a potent revelation. I love you. Happy Holidsys to you and yours.
Similar story... one day I walked up to a grocery store & they were closed. I walked back to my car I let an older woman know "oh so you dont walk all the way up there, they are closed". She thanked me & we both drive to another store diwn the road. As we got out of the car together she said very sweetly, "oh well hello again dear!" & chit chated on the way in & laughed & chit chated as we continued to pass each other in the aisles. As I walked to check out she walked up behind me & said " jeez are we just ment to be grocery buddies today!?" And we chit chatted in line while they checked out what was about $50 in mostly milk bread and snacks for my son. When time came for me to pay I couldn't find my money! I was a little embarrassed and apologized to the cashier and to the woman for holding them up and said I would have to run to my car to look. The woman looked at me almost excited & said "I told you we were MENT to meet today!" and INSISTED on paying for my groceries!
When I got to my car I looked quickly and found my money and ran over to try and give it to her and she refused it! No matter how much I insisted. I thanked her REPEATEDLY and she was so sweet and said I was very sweet and didnt have to be so friendly and chit chat with a little old woman but I did. since she wouldnt take the money anyway I told her that it actually was VERY helpful to have the extra money that week and actually teared up a little. She proceeded to hug me and tell me that she truly believed what she had said about us being ment to meet each other that day. And I promised her when I had the chance I would pay it forward! People like her are few and far between and truly a blessing!!
Load More Replies...A heart warming story, there are kind generous people, anyone with extra money can be thoughtful, more could be done, it doesn't occur to all. A story in the news about a couple who won a lottery, the lady was seen at a grocery store buying people a turkey, I think there are better ways of her to share, find people who are in dire need for some groceries or the food bank. !!!
"Kindness is a currency. Perhaps the only currency where the more you spend the richer you get." I'll be using this from now on.
So nice to read something about kindness and not of that hurts people or animals Thankyou x
This is lovely because something that may seem insignificant to one person is everything to another person. I had something similar, i was behind a lady getting her shopping (groceries), she seemed tired and obviously had young kids because part of her stuff was nappies (diapers), she rang it all through and she didn't have enough money, i think she was short by £8, i offered to pay just because i wanted to hurry up and get my stuff and get out but after seeing her reaction, she burst into tears and thanked me like i had just saved her life or something, it was very humbling and i realised that £8 to me was nothing, i would spend that on a pizza on my way home but to her it made a difference, i was glad i was behind her that day.
Infusion of joy near made me stop reading but glad I read this. Wonderful
B******t! She went to the store with "only a gift card" but he bought almost $400 worth of food for her!? So she got all this food together knowing she "couldn't buy anything" without the gift card wtf was she doing with that much at the checkout!?
May have wanted to max out the card, since she didn't typically shop there. 2 people were kind to this woman who suffered so many devastating losses.
Load More Replies...Wait, after all that you worked hard and raised $1200? Commendable, but I'm wondering what ludacris is doing with his $25 million.
just because you have money doesn't mean you have to give it all away.
Load More Replies...struggling doesn't always mean with money. and sometimes we do things for others, while not getting enough ourselves.
Load More Replies...I really have to stop myself from poking holes, like didn’t she know it’d be 375$? Why have so many pets to support? I know, the important thing is the act of kindness regardless of the specifics.
She was probably fostering the animals, meaning they wouldn't be with her permanently.
Load More Replies...Refreshing, pure and simple. You know his Mama raised him the right way, God Bless him.
I've had these mysterious super heros step into my life when my light was out a time or two. You never know what people are going through.
"You never know what people are going through". Damn right. Everyone has a cross to bear, some quite severe, and some peoples are harder to see than others. I literally did the hand covering the gasping open mouth under wide eyes thing after seeing the part about the woman who lost her kids and then her husband. Fuuuuuuuuuuck. I've been through some s**t, but not like that. I can't even begin to comprehend. Also, Ludacris is awesome and I think I'll buy one of his albums I don't have yet on principle.
Load More Replies...Okay, my eyeballs have officially sprung a leak. Luda is my new favorite man and this woman is my new favorite woman. So many people on this planet suck so bad, but these two are proof that there's hope for us yet.
This is beautiful. I have a similar story; my health insurance payment didn't come out as there weren't enough funds for the payment to go through. A woman from the company called me as asked if I could make the payment, but there was no way. I explained that I'd not long had a baby, and our car had needed repairing and we'd have to cancel the insurance. "But you have a young family", she said, but I just could not make the payment. Later that night I got a call from a private number; it was the woman from the insurance company. She told me she felt compelled to help, and she had chosen to pay the monthly instalment herself, and hopefully we would be able to get back on track by the next month. I was gobsmacked, and spent the next hour trying to convince her she didn't have to do that...but she did. Refused to give me her details because she didn't want to be paid back. I've never forgotten, and I hope she was blessed as much as she blessed me that day.
I worked in retail many years. You would be surprised how often this kind of thing happens especially around the holidays. Lots of great people out there. Wtg Chris ;)
One time, my husband and I were at a grocery store getting a cake for his birthday. When we checked out, our card was declined. We were embarrassed, and I was upset. The man in line behind us offered to pay for the cake. I know I will never forget that kind man.
Load More Replies...Pretty impressed Luda actually does his own grocery shopping. Cool story too
So nice that some ppl are glad when they get help. I bought grocieries for a ‘friend’ once, for a big sum. She told she was broke and horrified that she couldn’t give herself or cats any food. We went to the grocery store. When we came back to her place she didn’t even say thanks, asked if I could pay her bills too. I told her I don’t have money enough myself for that too. One week later she showed me she’s been shopping a soap bar for $70.. And she started being mean to me. When I got really sick she told me that it’s only in my head etc. I have stopped helping ppl too much after that. But it makes me happy to read this article.
Read the whole story before commenting such judgemental c**p. She specifically stated that she would never shop there but she had a gift voucher from a friend.
Load More Replies...I actually had a stranger pay for my baby's nappies. Nappies are quite expensive in my country and I was relatively broke at that time. Angels don't always have wings ;)
If I win the lottery, I wanna set aside a small amount of money for myself and use the rest to help people. Just being the nice guy can get you a lot.
I often think of my heart as pumice, hard and full of holes. But I’m quite literally crying on the bus. Thank you to all the angels like Ludacris, the original poster, and everyone who has helped, been helped, and shared their stories. I’m in a tough, long haul, and you all are a potent revelation. I love you. Happy Holidsys to you and yours.
Similar story... one day I walked up to a grocery store & they were closed. I walked back to my car I let an older woman know "oh so you dont walk all the way up there, they are closed". She thanked me & we both drive to another store diwn the road. As we got out of the car together she said very sweetly, "oh well hello again dear!" & chit chated on the way in & laughed & chit chated as we continued to pass each other in the aisles. As I walked to check out she walked up behind me & said " jeez are we just ment to be grocery buddies today!?" And we chit chatted in line while they checked out what was about $50 in mostly milk bread and snacks for my son. When time came for me to pay I couldn't find my money! I was a little embarrassed and apologized to the cashier and to the woman for holding them up and said I would have to run to my car to look. The woman looked at me almost excited & said "I told you we were MENT to meet today!" and INSISTED on paying for my groceries!
When I got to my car I looked quickly and found my money and ran over to try and give it to her and she refused it! No matter how much I insisted. I thanked her REPEATEDLY and she was so sweet and said I was very sweet and didnt have to be so friendly and chit chat with a little old woman but I did. since she wouldnt take the money anyway I told her that it actually was VERY helpful to have the extra money that week and actually teared up a little. She proceeded to hug me and tell me that she truly believed what she had said about us being ment to meet each other that day. And I promised her when I had the chance I would pay it forward! People like her are few and far between and truly a blessing!!
Load More Replies...A heart warming story, there are kind generous people, anyone with extra money can be thoughtful, more could be done, it doesn't occur to all. A story in the news about a couple who won a lottery, the lady was seen at a grocery store buying people a turkey, I think there are better ways of her to share, find people who are in dire need for some groceries or the food bank. !!!
"Kindness is a currency. Perhaps the only currency where the more you spend the richer you get." I'll be using this from now on.
So nice to read something about kindness and not of that hurts people or animals Thankyou x
This is lovely because something that may seem insignificant to one person is everything to another person. I had something similar, i was behind a lady getting her shopping (groceries), she seemed tired and obviously had young kids because part of her stuff was nappies (diapers), she rang it all through and she didn't have enough money, i think she was short by £8, i offered to pay just because i wanted to hurry up and get my stuff and get out but after seeing her reaction, she burst into tears and thanked me like i had just saved her life or something, it was very humbling and i realised that £8 to me was nothing, i would spend that on a pizza on my way home but to her it made a difference, i was glad i was behind her that day.
Infusion of joy near made me stop reading but glad I read this. Wonderful
B******t! She went to the store with "only a gift card" but he bought almost $400 worth of food for her!? So she got all this food together knowing she "couldn't buy anything" without the gift card wtf was she doing with that much at the checkout!?
May have wanted to max out the card, since she didn't typically shop there. 2 people were kind to this woman who suffered so many devastating losses.
Load More Replies...Wait, after all that you worked hard and raised $1200? Commendable, but I'm wondering what ludacris is doing with his $25 million.
just because you have money doesn't mean you have to give it all away.
Load More Replies...struggling doesn't always mean with money. and sometimes we do things for others, while not getting enough ourselves.
Load More Replies...I really have to stop myself from poking holes, like didn’t she know it’d be 375$? Why have so many pets to support? I know, the important thing is the act of kindness regardless of the specifics.
She was probably fostering the animals, meaning they wouldn't be with her permanently.
Load More Replies...
323
67