Avery County, North Carolina — Some people were skeptical, at first, about the stranger who visited flood-ravaged Avery County. in western North Carolina this week, pretending to be some kind of Santa Claus.
Yet he persisted, approaching people in parking lots, grocery stores and even motel rooms, where they displaced by Hurricane Helene are always safe three months after the devastating storm.
Every year, this anonymous wealthy businessman travels the country during the holidays, give approximately $100,000 in $100 bills.
The money goes to strangers and people he seeks out, knowing their needs. For what this secret Santa do you want to come to North Carolina?
“I think when people go through tragedy, they can lose their home, all their stuff,” he told CBS News. “But what they can’t lose is hope. And maybe we can give them some hope.”
Among those he was looking for was Jamie Guinn. At Helene’s height, a mudslide tore out the garage of the Avery County home where Guinn lived with his wife, Melissa.
“I grabbed her and said, ‘At least we met,'” Jamie told CBS News. “‘We can fix the house.’ And it couldn’t have happened 10 minutes later, and I remember being crushed.”
A second mudslide swept away the entire house and cost Melissa her life.
“You haven’t really lost her because she’s with you and she’s smiling at you right now,” Secret Santa told Guinn.
It’s these words of comfort – the hugs and hope from a complete stranger – that really seem to move people, more than the money itself.
“This is the gift we haven’t forgotten about, that we know you’re here for,” Secret Santa said. “And we care.”
Secret Santa always says that kindness is the bridge between all men – a bridge that cannot be burned, bombed or washed away in a flood. It’s still there, just waiting for us to cross.
Steve Hartman
