As though manna from heaven, a pizza delivery driver received the surprise of his life when he was given a $1,900 tip by a church in Anchorage.
Ken Falber was doing his regular route on a regular shift when events took a surprising turn for him on Sunday. Relayed by the Associated Press on Yahoo News, Ken has been delivering pizza for 14 years now. Chugach Covenant Church pastor Dan Krause curiously asked Ken about the best tip that he'd ever received. The delivery man said that would be $100. "How does a tip of $1,900 sound?" The pastor asked.
Ken tamed what could have been a far more exuberant response and simply said, "Oh, heck no!"
Asked about what motivated this generosity, Krause explained that he saw this as an opportunity for a deed that, although small, would have a great impact on a person's life.
Ken will be using his tip on much-needed snow tires, medical expenses, and a special spaghetti dinner for two with his wife.
A trend may well be happening as a similar incident happened in Ohio in early October. Reported in The Washington Post, Domino's assistant manager Natasha Boyer volunteered to substitute for the regular pizza driver. The driver who refused to make this particular trip upon learning that the delivery had to be made in front of a church congregation. It was to be a presentation of sorts.
Sycamore Creek Church Pastor Steve Markle did indeed ask Natasha to stand on a stage in front of hundreds of church-goers and state the total cost of the pizza she was delivering, which was $5.99. Similar to Ken, Natasha was asked about the best tip she has ever received. She said that this was $10. The pastor then explained that the church had been learning about generosity in the past month and so decided to take up a special collection for her tip. The pastor handed her the amount of $1,046.
The gift made Natasha break down in tears as that same morning, she had just had an eviction notice displayed on her door from missing a month's rent after a week of hospitalisation. The amount she had to come up with to save her home was almost $1000.
Markle stated that his hope is for the church's example of kindness to inspire others to extend similar generosity especially to those in need.
