Pay it forward
Island business gives back to locals over holiday season
Not many people think much of it when someone asks them how much it costs to fill up a tank of gas.
But when Logan MacLellan walked up to a woman, asked the question and then gave her the money to fill up the tank, he was met with emotional smiles.
“We started paying it forward about two years ago, during the holiday season. Jeff MacLellan, the owner of M& N Investments wanted to give back to the community,” explained the younger MacLellan.
The first year, MacLellan sat on a street in Charlottetown and played chase the ace, anyone who pulled an ace won $ 100.
“What people didn’t know was that every card in the deck was an ace. It took about three days of sitting there before people started participating.” Last year they took over cab fares for an afternoon and paid
for people’s groceries.
“We had all the fares from Sobeys and Superstore for one afternoon. So after a ride in the cab, which was being driven by my associate, Sean, I would follow behind and then get out and tell them that we were tak-
ing care of the ride.”
This year, they talked to people on the streets of Charlottetown and then handed them $ 100.
“We also paid for gas at the Richmond Esso. They were really great to allow us to film
and do the project there.”
Th e reactions vary every year, he said.
“It’s hard to describe the feeling you have and the reactions you get; because they’re similar but diff erent because the people are diff erent. Some people get really emotional, while others just smile and say thank you.”
It’s an experience that has stuck with MacLellan.
“I can remember every single conversation I’ve had with the people we’ve interacted with during our projects.
“It’s a really great feeling to give back at the holidays, but for us we’d do this in the middle of summer. It was about giving back to Islanders.”