Standing in line in the supermarket, Robin overheard a grandmother and granddaughter talking in the next line over.  The grandmother was excited about the chicken dinner she was going to prepare with the rotisserie chicken and other food items she was purchasing.  The grandmother shared the special recipe with her granddaughter as they moved up to check out. 

When the checkout clerk had scanned all the items, the grandmother handed her a “bridge” card (food stamps) to pay for the items.  The grandmother was getting ready to leave when the clerk said, “That will be $5.60.”  The grandmother looked confused and asked why there was a charge.  The clerk informed her that her bridge card didn’t cover the chicken because it was pre-prepared and, thus, considered a restaurant purchase and not eligible. 

The grandmother looked in her wallet and sadly told her granddaughter that the chicken would have to go back because she had no money to pay for it.  Robin noticed that the granddaughter looked stricken that the delicious meal her grandmother had been describing wouldn’t be on their plates that night.  The grandmother continued to look in her purse for money, knowing that she wouldn’t find any.

Robin stepped out of her line and flagged the clerk, saying that she’d cover the cost of the chicken.  The grandmother was so amazed and thankful, she said, “I’m going to have to hug you!”  Robin accepted the hug and went back to her own line, noting that both grandmother and granddaughter left the store smiling.

Now that’s what I call living SPACE’s core value of giving back to the community.  The beauty of this is that not only were the recipients happy, but the knowledge of her action gladdened Robin’s heart, too.  That’s the caliber of people we work with.