Mystery man pays for 58 strangers' meals to honor Las Vegas shooting victims
It was a typical Saturday morning at Maple's Bakery in Yarmouth, Maine -- with customers lining up outside the door for their usual coffees and pastries.
But one customer's request at the family-owned shop was anything but ordinary.
The man, who wishes to remain anonymous, stepped up to the counter and requested to pay for himself and the 58 customers to follow. He told the staff he wanted to honor the victims of the Las Vegas shooting rampage.
"He wanted to be an inspiration to people," Robin Ray, owner of Maple's Bakery, told CBS News. "Everybody has been down about all the things going down in the country -- hurricanes, the shooting. His main goal was to show we can all do things for other people. We can all turn somebody's bad day around."
He gave the employee his credit card number, grabbed his coffee and whoopie pies and headed out the door. He said he wasn't concerned about the cost.
"There was no limit," Ray said. "It did not matter what the order was. Everything was paid for. He did not put a cap on generosity."
One by one, customers were quietly told their meals were paid for.
Ray's sister, Lila, one of the cashier's on duty that day, said she "teared up" every time she explained the kind gesture was meant to honor Las Vegas victims.
"That, of course, was not super easy for her to do," Ray said, "It's very emotional."
But Lila said it was worth it just to see the smiles on customers' faces. After about an hour, all 58 customers were paid for, and the bill rang up close to $1,000.
"People's days were made, and they likely made the days of those around them better too," Lila said.
Tammy Richards was one of the customers touched by the man's kindness.
"My daughter and I were among those [58] this morning, but I had not heard the story behind it," she commented on Maple's Facebook page. "Thank you for the hope. I have two cousins who I grew up with who live and work in Las Vegas, thankfully both are fine. I will remember this kindness, and pay it forward."
Ray said that's exactly what the man, who has been a regular at the bakery for the past three years, wanted -- to see others carry out kind acts themselves.
"We have good food, good coffee, but really we have good people," Ray said. "His good deed was not left undone. People will continue to do good things, and if they were already inspired to do good things -- this is more inspiration for them."