It’s been six days since Hurricane Ian slammed into southwest Florida, decimating parts of the west coast.
As search and rescue efforts continue and residents struggle to return to any sort of normalcy, we have learned of simple acts of kindness that remind us that even in the most difficult of times, there are people who will go out of their way to make others happy.
Two days after the hurricane left a path of destruction through Fort Myers, Caroline Rollins ventured out to Publix to find her soon-to-be three-year-old daughter a birthday cake.
It was a tall order, especially for an area that many described as a war zone. But one employee went above and beyond to make sure Rollins’ daughter had a cake for her birthday.
When Rollins visited her local Publix two days after Hurricane Ian passed, the bakery, as expected, was low on stock.
“I went to the counter and the workers mentioned that they hadn’t gotten any supplies so most likely it wouldn’t happen. I thanked them and continued shopping,” she wrote on Facebook.
As she continued walking through the store, an employee from the bakery approached her.
“Hey, I just went back and looked in the freezer and we do actually have a cake,” the woman said.
Rollins said the woman, named Natasha, informed her “that in her culture, ‘it isn’t a birthday without cake!'” So after Rollins inquired about a birthday cake, Natasha looked around the department for any extra supplies and found just what she needed.
“[Natasha] asked, ‘What is she into?’ And I said, ‘Anything pink princess. She’s my 100% girly girl,'” Rollins told 10 Tampa Bay.
A few days later Rollins returned to Publix with her daughter Anna to pick up the cake. Anna’s reaction to seeing her birthday cake speaks for itself.
“Natasha was beaming, Anna was happy tapping, and I was near tears! Talk about an above and beyond moment. Natasha went out of her way to make sure Anna had the perfect day even in the middle of rebuilding our decimated community.”
I just love these kinds of stories. They melt my heart.
Please share this sweet story with all your friends and family on Facebook.
