Peabody resident surprises shoppers with $5,000 in groceries

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PEABODY, Mass. — A trip to the grocery store can be stressful for seniors or people who are immunocompromised but Thursday morning in Peabody it turned out to be a pleasant surprise.

Linda Haskell was fighting back tears at the checkout after learning someone paid for her groceries.

She wasn’t the only one; shopper after shopper was in shock to see the manager pay the bill.

Someone had anonymously left $5,000 with the management at the Shaws at the Peabody Shopping Center to give away to people during the early hours set aside for seniors and those with compromised immune systems.

Kathy Fitzpatrick was another shocked customer. At the register, she said, “Are you serious?”

After the manager said that she was all set, she immediately asked, “Can I do anything - a donation?"

She told Boston 25 News as she walked out that she plans on donating to her local food pantry.

“I’m going to pay it forward absolutely, thank you so, so much,” she said.

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