One of the best things anyone can do is to make a kind gesture to a stranger without expecting anything in return. Kindness without any self-driven motivation is an attitude we should all work to reward and encourage. That is exactly what happened recently for 19-year-old Wal-Mart cashier John Lopez Jr.

John was already known around town as an upbeat and friendly Wal-Mart employee but something he did for a woman really touched the hearts of people in his community.

John does something nice for a woman in distress.

As John was ringing up a woman’s grocery bill, she began to cry and was in distress due to not being able to pay her bill. Imagine how difficult that must have been for her? This was food for her family.

A woman named Laci posted to Facebook about what she witnessed John do for the woman.

“I just witnessed this ‘kid’ pay for a cart of merchandise for a woman in obvious distress about her inability to pay. She was a few people ahead of us and when she had trouble paying her bill he stepped in and told her if she’d wait he would pay her total. Ya’ll, it was $110 dollars! He is always singing, upbeat, courteous, joyful and efficient. I don’t know John’s story, but I don’t think he is even 20 years old. He just renewed my faith in humanity and the generation we are raising! Everyone share this so the world knows what a blessing John is to our community!”

This was a lot of money for John, who is saving for college. Wal-Mart also shared a post about John’s generous actions that day.

https://www.facebook.com/walmart/photos/p.10157166342639236/10157166342639236/?type=1&theater

John Lopez Jr. explains why he stepped in to help the woman.

John spoke to CBS DFW and said that he never expected anyone to take notice of his gesture. He said that he just felt it in his heart that he was supposed to help the woman.

“She started crying and I was like ‘okay I got you – I got you’,” John Lopez Jr. said. “I just felt in my heart that the lord told me I had to help her.”

John continued to say that these are just the values his parents have instilled in him.

“My parents basically taught me if someone needs help, you should be able to help them and if someone is down, bring them up,” he told DFW. “I make it my goal to at least in one way make someone smile.”

The community repays John for his kind gesture.

Kind gestures done without any self-driven motivation should be rewarded, encouraged, and praised. Doing so will simply make this a better world to live in. John’s community decided to give back to the teenager.

Brandon Weddle is a regular shopper at John’s Wal-Mart and he decided to do something to reward John.

“I’ve been through his line a couple of times, my wife has too, and we’ve spoken about him, how he touches people on a daily basis.”

Brandon and his wife decided to set up a GoFundMe for John to help him save for college. They felt a $1000 goal was suitable, thus repaying him almost 10x what he was willing to sacrifice to help the woman in need. At last count, however, John’s community had raised over $37,000 for his education.

“Seeing a stranger help another stranger is how we should act as humans. I really feel like the world would be a better place if we just helped others, just like John did. He helped without reservation and judgement!” Laci wrote.

Learn more about John’s incredible story in the video below.

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Source: Wal-Mart/CBSDFW