After finding out she’d be losing her job, shopper gets holiday gift of free groceries
Candice Gagnon started the week on the wrong foot.
The Amherstburg resident was working at an e-commerce company in Windsor and thought it was her forever job. That dream came to a crashing halt Monday when she received an email explaining the company was closing down for good.
“As soon as I went to grab everything I was like 'I need to do something that will make me happy and I need to get something for dinner,'” said Gagnon who drove to Fred’s Farm Fresh on her way home.
“The universe was telling me I needed to be there at that very moment,” she explained. “As soon as I got into the parking lot I started bawling my eyes out. I’m like, 'how am I going to pay for this? How am I going to pay for Christmas? I have bills. I have a little guy at home. What am I going to do?’”
Gagnon gathered her strength and entered the store. Her plan was to pick up sausages and leave but once at the deli counter she was approached by Jonny Parks, co-host of the morning show on 93.9 Virgin Radio.
“I came up and said ‘hey, you know, we're starting this new thing Holiday Hook-Up. We wanna pay for your bill today,’” Parks explained.
Gagnon continued with what Parks told her, “’fill up your cart. Get everything that you need. I’m paying for it.’ I’m like 'why?' and I started crying.”
So did Parks.
“I start crying cause I’m like, ‘I wasn't expecting this first right out of the gate,’” he said.
Upon checking out Gagnon was greeted by Jonny's co-host Hannah Witherbee.
“Do you want a hug?” Witherbee offered Gagnon. “That's all I could do say ‘can I hug you’ because I was like ‘oh, I’m so sorry but also I’m so glad we could help you in a meaningful way.’”
Jonny and Hannah took their Holiday Hook-Up around town supporting local businesses Tuesday giving away gift cards. They donated a thousand dollars to St. Vincent De Paul Wednesday afternoon.
Instead of giving away prizes the team at Virgin Radio decided to help the community in a thoughtful way. “We realized, especially after the last two and a half years of not being together that being together is the real gift we could give everybody at Christmas time.” Said J. Stevens, regional program director for Virgin Radio.
The gesture made her day and Gagnon plans on paying it forward when she lands on her feet.
“I was even saying to Jonny that I don't believe in Christmas magic or miracles but obviously I do now,” she said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
NEW Iconic Canadian song turns 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Oprah Winfrey: I set an unrealistic standard for dieting
Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets.
Prince Harry, Meghan arrive in Nigeria to champion the Invictus Games and meet with wounded soldiers
Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, arrived in Nigeria on Friday to champion the Invictus Games, which he founded to aid the rehabilitation of wounded and sick servicemembers and veterans, among them Nigerian soldiers fighting a 14-year war against Islamic extremists.
Countries struggle to draft 'pandemic treaty' to avoid mistakes made during COVID
After the coronavirus pandemic triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions, leaders at the World Health Organization and worldwide vowed to do better in the future. Years later, countries are still struggling to come up with an agreed-upon plan for how the world might respond to the next global outbreak.
Toronto police called to Drake's Bridle Path mansion for another alleged intruder on Thursday
Toronto police say a man who allegedly attempted to access Drake’s Bridle Path property was taken to hospital on Thursday after an altercation with security guards.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Flat tire on a highway? Here's why you shouldn't try to fix it
If you're cruising down a highway and realize you have a flat tire, you may want to think twice before stopping to fix it on the side of the road.
Storm-battered U.S. South is again under threat. A boy swept into a drain fights for his life
Dangerous storms crashed over parts of the U.S. South on Thursday even as the region cleaned up from earlier severe weather that spawned tornadoes, killed at least three people, and gravely injured a boy who was swept into a storm drain as he played in a flooded street.