He bought 100 generators for Bahamas and wanted to be anonymous, but he went viral,
A Jacksonville farmer wanted to help the Bahamas so much, he bought 100 generators at Costco.
Besides the generators, which cost $450 a piece, he also bought food and other supplies.
His total: nearly $50,000. The man, who wanted to remain anonymous, told news outlets he would prefer people focus on the Bahamians who need help.
But, his good deed quickly went viral once shopper Alec Sprague found out.
“I felt the need to thank him and shake his hand for what he was doing!” Sprague said. “They are in desperate need and wish there was more [people] doing things like this.”
He snapped a quick photo of the good Samaritan from behind, and posted it on Facebook Wednesday. A day later, it had 34,000 shares.
The farmer told CNN he was storing the supplies in a Stuart facility and Errol Thurston, his friend, was using his network of friends and boaters to deliver the supplies.
Thurston is a boat captain who lives in Marsh Harbour, a town in the Abaco Islands, according to his Facebook profile, and owns a fishing-guide service. He left the island to take a client’s boat to Florida days before Dorian struck the island chain as a Category 5 hurricane and is staying with his wife, Mercedes, who lives and works in Florida as a highschool dean, CNN reported.
“Abaco is where my heart is and today my heart is completely broken,” Mercedes said in a Facebook video Tuesday. “My husband is beyond devastated but as usual he’s turning his despair into an opportunity to help others.”
Working with their friends and associates, the couples created multiple collection drives across the state, including in South Florida. They also made a GoFundMe page three days ago to help raise funds for supplies. So far, the page had raised $99,294, as of Thursday afternoon. Various videos indicate the group will attempt to deliver supplies by Friday.
“God is in control at this point. This is a giant lesson on humanity, ‘Help thy neighbor,’ ” Thurston’s wife said. “Every little bit helps, every prayer helps, every little thing. If you have one can of food to donate, that can make a world of difference to somebody.”