This is a wonderful story of paying it forward. When waitress Liz Woodward was serving breakfast to firefighters Tim Young and Paul Hulling at the Route 130 Diner in New Jersey, she overhead them talking about a warehouse fire that the two had worked on during their overnight shift.
Moved by this, she decided to pay for their breakfast and when she sent the tab over to their table, the two firefighters were surprised that their meal had been paid.
Liz Woodward. Image via YouTube
On the back of the bill Woodward had written:
“Your breakfast is on me today. Thank you all that you do, for serving us and for running into the places everyone runs away from. No matter your role, you are courageous, brave and strong. Thank you for being bold everyday. Fueled by fire and driven by courage – what an example you are. Get some rest!”
Young posted her note and picture of the diner on Facebook and urged his friends to go there and tip well.
Photo credit: Facebook / Tim Young
Young also discovered that the waitress was trying to raise money to get a wheelchair accessible van for her paralyzed father.
Young and Hulling rallied support and over 200 people have donated to her campaign. Woodward was blown away. She had been hoping to raise $17,000 since last year and, instead, because of her kind gesture, over $56,000 has been raised in just 3 days!
Firefighters Young and Hulling with Woodward family. Image via YouTube
No doubt shocked by how the firefighters had responded to her small gesture, Woodward responded with a message on her own Facebook account: “Look for those opportunities because they are everywhere. You can make a difference – it doesn’t always have to be an elaborate production or effort – it’s always the little things that have the greatest impact.”
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