Janelle Bourque is determined to 'pay it forward' after a kind stranger in Kamloops eased the burden of grocery bills for her.
Image Credit: Facebook/Janelle Bourque
March 26, 2021 - 7:30 AM
Janelle Bourque had her faith restored recently when a kind woman helped her with her grocery bill in Kamloops this week.
On Tuesday night, she and her boyfriend decided that they needed to keep their grocery budget at $50. Both of them are currently out of work, so money's been tight.
"When I got to the till, the woman in front of me was counting her change to pay for her groceries. 'If I could do something to help, I would,' I thought to myself," Bourque said. "Then as the cashier was ringing through my stuff, I had to ask them to stop because it reached $50 even though I had like ten more things - mushrooms and other produce."
That's when a kind stranger, who was next in line, insisted she cover the rest of the bill.
"I told her she didn't have to, but she said, 'it's okay. These are hard times, and you'll do it next time when you can. Us women have to stick together,'" Bourque said.
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Bourque was deeply touched by the gesture, so she took to social media to let people in Kamloops know how thankful she was, and to remind people that kindness and generosity "truly still exists."
She was laid off in February and won't be starting her new job until mid-April, but even if it's temporary, tight budgets can strain the psyche.
"Day-to-day expenses start to fall through the cracks. Credit cards and car payments keep coming. And you get so wrapped up in the financial stress that you don't see that light at the end of the tunnel," Bourque said.
But through it all, one small act had her walk out of the grocery store feeling renewed and humbled by the kindness of a stranger.
"I feel obligated to to just try and be a better human being."
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