Ruth Reed, a retired teacher in Medford, NJ, has treated strangers at the local Wawa at least once a week for the past three years. Last week, she found this month's perfect candidate for her random act of kindness - or so she thought. She spotted a shaggy-haired man in line who was a few dollars' short on his purchase. So, she stepped in and footed the bill for him. Grateful for her help, he told Reed his name was Keith.
"I said that he did look like Keith Urban," Reed explained in a Facebook post. "He said he was."
My favorite story of the day is how my 3rd grade teacher thought @KeithUrban was down on his luck and couldn’t pay for his wawa snacks so she bought them for him. What an angel. pic.twitter.com/mJccVOQWtp
— Olivia Rose Prouse (@liverdiverz) August 4, 2018
"I didn't believe him,'' Reed wrote. "I asked where Nicole was and who was the lady. He finally said that I could ask his bodyguard. It was then I realized what an idiot I was."
Judging by the smile on his face after he took a photo with Reed, Urban was obviously tickled by her generosity.
So was Mastercard, who offered her a year's supply of prepaid credit cards to help fund her next round of good deeds.
Ruth, your next 52 acts of kindness are on us. We’d love to send you a year’s supply of prepaid Mastercards! Let’s connect! #StartSomethingPriceless https://t.co/pXsZG58yNs
— Mastercard (@Mastercard) August 7, 2018
On Wednesday, the Medford Wawa announced it was celebrating Reed and her generosity by giving away free coffee all day. Other local residents are calling it "the biggest day in modern Medford history."