Christmas came early for nearly two dozen residents at a Victoria apartment complex after a stranger left a $50 bill at each unit’s door.
Lillian Clark was returning to her home early Saturday morning after running some errands, and it was there on her front doorstep that she noticed someone left a $50 bill.
“I thought maybe it was [someone] playing Santa Claus or something,” said Clark.
It turns out she wasn’t the only one.
She quickly noticed that everyone on her floor had $50 on their doorsteps, and she began to knock on her neighbours’ doors. It was later learned that all 18 tenants in the building received the same gift, totalling $900.
“I’m thinking, ‘Who in the world would give this?'” recalled Clark.
The building is located on Esquimalt Road in Victoria West and is subsidized. The residents have since tried to figure out who or why someone donated the cash.
“Unless someone won the lottery, that’s all I can think of or came into some unexpected inheritance and wanted to share with all the wonderful people,” said resident Patricia Hamilton.
The building is subsidized for residents and is managed by the Greater Victoria Housing Society. They say they don’t know who the generous benefactor could be.
“It seems like a wonderful surprise,” said GVHS communications and engagement manager Vanessa Schneider.
Many theorize it’s someone who lives inside the building.
“Maybe one of the tenants,” said resident Linda Bland.
Bland says that the money has left a huge positive impact on her life, and she’s decided not to spend the $50 but instead keep it inside an envelope and calls the stranger ‘an angel.’
“Just a reminder, you know, somebody gave [sic] me a good person, maybe an angel. Because I always talk to my guardian angels, you know.”
Other residents, such as Deborah Love, say this is an opportunity to pay it forward. She plans to donate her share to charity after she was the recipient of a stranger helping her.
“Somebody that I didn’t know helped me out in a really, really big way, and I almost lost my vehicle and they gave me money,” said Love.
“I feel a responsibility to help.”
The person’s identity for this generous act may never be revealed, but residents are hoping they will one day be able to thank that stranger in person.
Oli Herrera
