I'd like to recognize and publicly thank the gentleman, festively dressed in a red shirt and holiday tie, who caught me by surprise and paid my grocery bill at the Morgan Street Thriftway on Saturday night, Dec. 23rd.

I was checking-out in the express line and discovered the "Pay-by-Touch" machine wasn't working. So while I asked the cashier to hold my order so I could run to the car to get my wallet, the man behind me handed the cashier his credit card and said he wanted to pay for my groceries. I felt his offer to be unnecessary, yet he insisted to help and refused my offer to reimburse him.

It was hard for me to take my groceries and leave the store, but I relented and thanked him again for his generosity. He thanked me for allowing him to do so.

This letter is meant to recognize this man's act of kindness and spirit of giving. In the hope that he will read this, I want him to know that I was inspired and am making a donation in his honor to Westside Baby, a local nonprofit organization that collects new and used clothing, toys, books and baby gear and distributes them free-of-charge to south Seattle families in need.

I was able to pay for my groceries that night, but because I was touched by a stranger's kindness, I want to "pay it forward" and help those to can't afford to buy such basic necessities for their families.

Happy Holidays to the mystery man in red!

Christine Leahy

Gatewood