Photo: Corbis via Getty Images
Everyone in Earlham, Iowa recently found a nice surprise the mail. Each of the townâs 549 households received an envelope with three $50 gift cards inside, two for local restaurants and one for the local grocery store. The generous gift comes from an anonymous donor and not even Mayor Jeff Lillie knows who it is.
He got a call from someone contacting him on behalf of the donor, who said the donor wanted to buy 100 $50 gift cards to support small local businesses and give them away. Then over the course of the day, the go-between increased the number to 500 and when the mayor told him that was almost enough for every household in town, he arranged to raise it again so all 549 would get the cards. That comes out to more than $82-thousand the donor spent altogether, more than $27-thousand at each business.
The townâs residents are happy, the small businesses get a boost, and the mayor is happy for some good news. âNobody has had a lot to smile about the last few weeks,â he says. âAnd this is definitely something to smile about. It gives you some hope.â