How one Good Samaritan's R132 500 gesture has brought festive cheer to 260 families
A Good Samaritan paid off all lay-bys at a PEP store in Aberdeen.
Image: Pexels
The festive season can bring out the best in people as was seen in a generous act of kindness at an Eastern Cape store.
A Good Samaritan, who chose to remain anonymous, went to a PEP store in Aberdeen and asked how many lay-bys were unpaid.
The store had 260 lay-bys which needed to be settled for items including school items, baby clothing and other essentials. The total amount owing was R132 500 which the kind man then paid off.
“We were taken completely by surprise,” says PEP chief marketing executive Beyers van der Merwe.
“This level of human kindness reminds us that generosity lands powerfully when it connects to people’s real needs – the lay-bys were for school items, baby clothing and other essentials. This gesture has given 260 families the dignity of taking their items home when they perhaps least expected it – just in time for the festive season.”
PEP said since 2020, the PEP Lay-by Buddy Initiative has raised more than R3,6 million and benefited a staggering 150 000 families. This year, Pepkor stepped forward with a R1 million donation to help even more families.
Consumers can support the initiative by inquiring in the store or going online.