Dave Hall, the reporter heading up the Surprise Squad, as happy to tell her that he and his team had her groceries covered and Stephanie was thrilled to receive the generous offer.
Dave then noticed Larry, standing quietly behind Stephanie. It turned out Larry, a friend of Stephanie’s husband, had set up the Bones for Blankets club many years previous. The club’s aim? To donate blankets to homeless veterans left on the streets after their service to their country.
Heartbreakingly, Larry established the club after three fellow veterans froze to death. He wanted to make sure no more veterans suffered the same fate.
He explained how Stephanie’s husband was a truck driver who was away a lot, and so he kept Stephane company and helped her get by given the challenges she faced as a result of her disability.
“No vet should be going through what she’s going through,” Larry told the Surprise Squad.
That might have been that, but Dave Hall was adamant that Larry wasn’t going to be leaving the store without the Surprise Squad team paying for his groceries as well.
Larry had only been planning on purchasing dish soap and candy, but Dave told him: “You served us. It’s our turn to serve you now.”
So Larry got to go around the store and pick out whatever he wanted. His total was $278, and Larry was left wiping tears from his eyes after the bill was settled by Dave and the others.
“This is just like overwhelming, I’ve been taking care of myself since I was 13,” Larry said.
