Man Who Resigned From Grocery Store After 23 Years Left In Tears When Community Gifted Him $30,000

Dec 02, 2022 by apost team

Most of the time, people who put their heart into whatever they do are unknowingly making an impact on their communities — and most often than not, such actions do not go unnoticed. But when the time comes for you to leave, trust that people will be there to show their appreciation for everything that you had done. This was the case for a man who had worked at a local grocery store for more than two decades. When one of the customers who grew fond of him found out that he was leaving, she made sure to give him the best farewell gift one could ever receive.  

For 23 years, Tim McCloud worked for a Harris Teeter branch in Glenwood Village in Raleigh County, North Carolina. But he wasn’t only a grocery retailer employee — he was someone people could count on.

One of the members of the Glenwood Village community, Julie Caviness, had nothing but nice words to say about McCloud. While he worked as a bagger, people believed he did more than just that. Caviness said McCloud had no idea how much he meant to people who frequented the grocery store he worked at in the past two decades.

“He’s just incredible. He’s legendary here, I don’t think he even knows it, that’s what makes it so beautiful,” Caviness told WRAL. “He does not have a clue what a great impact he’s had within our community.”

But it wasn’t easy working at Glenwood as McCloud had to endure the commute from his place in Wilson County every day for two decades. So, when McCloud finally had the chance to get a job near him, he immediately grabbed it.

“He started talking about an opportunity opening up in Wilson, nine minutes from his house,” Caviness said. “I started crying. I was like ‘you can’t leave me.'”

For years, Caviness said McCloud somehow became her part-time therapist, allowing her to open up to him about personal matters. That’s right, there even came a point when they cried together. So, Caviness knew she needed to give back not only for all the years McCloud served their community but also for the times he was there for her as a friend.

“When he told me that, I said ‘How do I help him?'” Caviness said.

So, Caviness decided to do a fundraiser through GoFundMe. But what she did not know was it would only take about 24 hours to exceed her goal of $1,000. Yes, it reached $22,000 by the time McCloud fulfilled his last shift.

On his last day of service, Caviness purchased at the grocery where McCloud worked for years. Then, she asked him to walk her out one last time. But what he didn’t know was hundreds of people were waiting outside for him, cheering him on as he made his way out.

McCloud turned emotional after seeing the people who flocked to the grocery store to see him. When Caviness finally revealed the big surprise, McCloud was left speechless.

When asked about what he felt about the surprise, he said: “It’ll help me a whole lot. I’m blessed with it, you know.”

As of writing, Caviness’ fundraiser for McCloud has already reached $30,000.

“It was one of the most beautiful experiences I have ever had. It is also one of the best gifts I have ever received. I witnessed love and support from one of the kindest humans that we have ever known,” Caviness said in her GoFundMe post.

apost.com

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