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12/24/2011 (Updated 8:09:14 PM)
Charlene Tuttle wanted to give her four granddaughters a Christmas to remember so she bought each of them a Nintendo DS, which is a handheld game system that costs about 150 dollars a piece.
She put them on layaway at the Kmart on State Street in Binghamton, so she could pay of her bill over time.
“They’ll be very excited to know that they get them this year,” says Charlene Tuttle.
This morning Tuttle received a pleasant surprise when Kmart’s layaway department called to tell her that she was debt free.
“I started crying and couldn’t believe that it was actually happening to me. It’s a very good feeling to know there’s other people out there that really do care to make sure kids have a decent Christmas,” says Tuttle.
Tuttle wasn’t the only one to benefit from the layaway angels, who store manager Shannon Hoppes says anonymously and regularly donate anywhere from 50 to 500 dollars.
But the largest donation came on Thursday.
“We had Mr. Galesi of Galesi Realty call us on Wednesday and say that he would like to make a donation to pay of some of the layaways in the building and he actually sent a $25 thousand check to us,” says Shannon Hoppes, manager.
Galesi is from Wayne, New Jersey and is actually the owner of the plaza where Kmart is located.
Hoppes says the first to benefit from the donation were the people who were behind in payments because they seem to need the help the most.
“Some of the people who recieved help from the layaway angels were so impressed that it inspired them to make donations of thier own, which would help those who were not originally on the list.”
“We’re actually going to donate to it too because someone paid it off and we didn’t expect is so we’re going to donate too,” says Nathan Sadler.
Sadler walked up to the layaway counter this morning to pay for the motor bike he picked out for his 8-year-old son, but was told he didn’t owe a dime.
“People don’t believe us at first. We still have people that try to give us money and we’re like no, we really don’t need your money,” says Hoppes, manager.
Their disbelief soon turns to tears and then smiles as they realize it truly will be a Merry Christmas for them and their families.
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