Dozens of Strangers Pay It Forward at 'Heav'nly' Donut Shop Drive-Thru
A Massachusetts donut shop customer inspired more than 50 others to "pay it forward" by purchasing food and drinks for others in line at the store's drive-thru.
Wendy Clement, manager of the Heav'nly Donuts shop in Amesbury, Mass., told The Christian Post a total of 55 cars were included in the chain of generosity that occurred on Saturday. The people in each car paid for the food and drink order of the car behind them, and the employees were "ecstatic" to watch the chain progress.
"It was fantastic," said Clement. "The generosity was unbelievable."
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The chain was broken after an hour and a half simply because no one else was in line at the time. Clement says it had the potential to be much longer, however, because a steady stream of cars began entering the drive-thru just seconds after the 55th car left.
A similar chain occurred in the store's drive-thru last year, she says, though it lasted for only 20 cars, and there is one woman in particular who pays for the order of the car behind her every Friday. That woman's actions ultimately inspired Saturday's events.
Eileen Taylor, who started the chain on Saturday, received the gift of free drinks on Friday and returned to the donut shop the following morning to pay for the order of another unsuspecting patron.
"I knew that my husband would probably kill me because I just recently lost my job," Taylor told CBS affiliate WBZ. But, despite her own financial troubles, she still paid the $12 bill owed by the strangers in the car behind her.
"After that it was like, oh we're three cars deep, four cars deep, and after about the 15th car I started letting the customers know, 'Hey, we're 17 cars in, you can either keep it going or you can take your coffee and go. Either way it's your choice,'" the clerk told the CBS affiliate.
Taylor also told the station she will "absolutely" try to start another chain again. As for the woman who paid for Taylor's drinks last week, Clement says she can't wait to thank her for her generosity this Friday.
