A grieving couple in Glastonbury, Connecticut decided to celebrate their deceased son's birthday by paying for another family's meal. Their act of random kindness eventually turned into a pay-it-forward chain at the local diner.
Shane and MaryJo Dunn handed out a $50 gift card at First & Last Tavern over the weekend to honor their son Luke. The toddler was just 17 months old when he succumbed to cancer. Saturday would have been his second birthday, NBC Washington reported.
Coincidentally, the recipient of the generous offer was a family who was celebrating their son's third birthday. They also received a note from the Dunns describing Luke's battle with cancer. However, they were unable to thank the Dunns as the good-hearted couple had already left the diner.
The restaurant's co-owner Rich Nemarich shared to ABC News that the family then passed the generosity forward by picking the tab of another table. The restaurateur and his brothers were so moved by the act that they decided to launch a pay-it-forward program called "Love 4 Luke."
Speaking about the new program, First & Last Tavern manager Max Rickis said, "I just kind of hope that more people take a chapter out of her book and look at things in a bigger light and just want to do better for people that they don't even know."
"Love 4 Luke" also has its own Facebook page, where customers can announce their intended meal recipients. First & Last Tavern also said their giving away one free gift card per week.
MaryJo Dunn was informed of the news and said she and her husband are very grateful for the restaurant's gesture. The couple is delighted that their son is being remembered positively.
"I just thought it'd be something that maybe people would appreciate and that'd be the end of it," she thought. "To know that it's going to be continued and in my son's name, it couldn't mean more."
