Man Gives $100 Gift Cards To Complete Strangers In Newark
NEWARK, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- One New Jersey man spread holiday cheer Monday by giving $100 Toys R' Us gift cards to complete strangers.
CBS2's Vanessa Murdock accompanied the man, who asked to remain anonymous, as he and a friend walked the streets of Newark, surprising patrons with an unexpected dose of holiday spirit.
"Doing something little can make a major difference in people's lives," he said.
The duo started giving out the gift cards, which the man buys with his own money, in 2013, after he missed his chance to help someone in need at Toys 'R Us.
"There was a woman who didn't have enough money to pay for her gifts," the man said. "And I thought for a minute that I should just give her the extra money."
But he didn't - and he regretted it.
"I went home and thought about how I could make it right," he said.
The man calls his giveaway 'The Veronica Project," and said he does it to spread joy and hope for a brighter future.
Not everyone accepted the man's gift, but most did.
"Amazing, that someone is really...there's nice people out here," Markisha Chandler, who received a gift card, said.