More secret Santas pay off layaways

PLAINFIELD TOWNSHIP, MIch. (WOOD) - For the third day in a row, regular people have come into the Kmart on Plainfield Avenue to play secret Santa by paying off complete strangers' layaway bills. Now, employees and customers at the Kmart seem to have an extra spring in their step. 

"We had no idea it would blossom into such a thing," said Kmart Assistant Manager Carol Vernon. Vernon has worked for Kmart for 35 years. "I have never in my life seen anything like this. It's awesome."  

On Tuesday, a woman paid off three layaway bills totaling about $500. She picked the recipients randomly, her only requirement was that toys were in the order.

On Wednesday, another anonymous giver spent $2,000 paying off 13 more layaway bills.Vernon told 24 Hour News 8 that the person who came in on Tuesday paid those bills with the hope that the phenomenon would catch on.

It has.

On Thursday, a secret Santa paid off about $1,000 in layaway bills.

And several others anonymously paid off the bills of people they knew at the store.

"I think it's just tremendous," said Vernon. "It's wonderful. It renews your faith in the spirit of Christmas, and people caring about other people, especially children. Unfortunately, children and the elderly are the ones who suffer the most."  

Many of the layaway orders that were paid off were for essentials, like warm clothing for children.

"We cry when we hear of these," Vernon said.  "We get chills, and we laugh afterwards and our whole day, it doesn't matter what the day brings," said Vernon. "It just reaffirms that faith in human nature, that everybody is here to help everybody, especially now."

Employees at the Kmart said that once in a while before the recession hit, someone would come in and pay off part of a stranger's layaway. But this string of large spending is a first.

Roberta Carter had her layaway paid off on Wednesday. She said she wasn't sure if they were going to be able to pay it off before Christmas. The stranger's generosity will mean Carter's eight kids will have warm clothes to unwrap on Christmas morning.

"I know that they've helped a lot of families and today its really hard, you know. We have eight kids and it's a struggle. And it's a blessing for all the families that they've helped. So I'd like to just say thank you," said Carter. "It was truly amazing. It was a blessing. It was unexpected, truly, so we were really, really blessed."

The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University provided some insight on why people give charitably. A recent study showed several big reasons:

One is if there's a critical need. A second is the belief that those with more should help out those with less, and a third is the giver just has a desire to give back to society.

"It's a wonderful time of year," said Vernon. "It's a giving time of year. It's a stressful time of year and with the finances of everybody... everybody has hopes and dreams, and not all of them can come true. But those people who have a little extra are offering that help to people this year, and it is just bringing back that spirit."

Since 24 Hour News 8 first aired this story on Tuesday, someone in Hastings saw it on TV and called up their local Kmart. That person donated $5,000 to pay off layaway orders of complete strangers at that store.

Now the big question is: When will the giving streak end?

For more information on why people give charitably, go to the Indiana University Center of Philanthropy (pdf).