Some shoppers who visited the Fair Park Fiesta and Pleasant Grove Walmart locations this holiday season left in tears after members of a local fraternity chapter randomly selected them and covered their tabs.
The surprise is part of an annual “Pay It Forward” initiative started by Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity’s chapter in Katy, Texas, and replicated by the Dallas Alphas in 2022.
The Dallas chapter raised over $12,000 for this year’s effort and dispatched members to Fiesta and Walmart on Dec. 9 and Dec. 21.
Donning the official blazer of the historically Black fraternity, the Alphas fanned out across the stores and approached stunned recipients.
One woman said she was faced with a difficult decision: paying her electricity bill or buying groceries for her children. She chose the latter, not realizing the blessing that awaited her at Walmart on Dec. 9. She was brought to tears by the kindness of strangers, adding she was able to use the money she earmarked for groceries to keep the lights on in her home.
Another recipient, a single mother of three facing hard financial times, said she wanted her children to find at least one gift under the tree on Christmas Day. She walked out of Walmart on Dec. 21 with a cart full of toys.
