John Lopez Jr. did a wonderful thing for a woman in distress without expecting anything in return. But his good deed went viral and now it’s going to be a lot easier for him to fulfill his dream of going to college.
Lopez is a cashier at the Walmart in Princeton, Texas who started working there in March to pay for his college education. On December 17, Lopez came across a female customer who was upset because she didn’t have enough money to pay for her groceries. “She started crying and I was like, ‘Okay, I got you. I got you,’” Lopez told KTVT. “I just felt in my heart that the Lord told me I had to help her.”
So the 19-year-old Lopez paid the $110 total.
Walmart customer Laci Simms witnessed Lopez’s good deed and was so moved by his generosity she shared the story on her Facebook page.
“I just witnessed this ‘kid’ pay for a cart of merchandise for a woman in obvious distress about her inability to pay,” Simms wrote. “She was a few people ahead of us and when she had trouble paying her bill he stepped in and told her if she’d wait he would pay her total.”
The post quickly went viral and has been shared by nearly 4,000 people.
Lopez attributes his generosity to his upbringing. “My parents basically taught me if someone needs help you should be able to help them and if someone is down, bring them up,” he told KTVT. “I make it my goal to at least in one way make someone smile.”
Walmart thanked Lopez in a statement to People. “Our associates are special and John’s actions are a perfect example,” the statement reads. “Those who know John wouldn’t be surprised. He’s a kind, generous person and we couldn’t be more proud of him.”
After the story of his generous deed went viral, Brandon Weddle of Princeton created a GoFundMe page to thank Lopez for his good deed. “I recently saw a post where this cashier at Walmart paid for a ladies groceries who was obviously in need,” Weddle wrote. “The bill was not a small one. No questions asked. He gave selflessly.”
The campaign has already raised more than $35,000. According to KTVT, Lopez intends on using that money to pay for college.
