After the horrible impact of the coronavirus, the United States sent out a stimulus check to most citizens worth $1,200. For many, this made the difference between losing their old life or holding on for a few more months. So, when one car wash employee found an uncashed stimulus check in the trash, he knew he needed to return it to the owner as soon as possible…
An Ordinary Car Wash Employee
When Antonio Hernandez, seen above right, took the garbage out at Evans Street Car Wash in Greensville, North Carolina, he never expected to find anything strange. Still, it’s a good thing he kept his eyes peeled just in case, or he would likely never have seen the fated envelope sitting in the trash can. Hernandez could tell it was important, as it came directly from the government, addressed to one Charles Thompson. However, as a man with two jobs, Hernandez had no time to track down the owner of the envelope. So, he handed the task off to his daughter, Michelle Alvarado, seen above right.
“My dad was headed to his next job when he showed me it and so me and my mom were in charge of trying to find this man,” Alvarado said. Of course, like many of us would, Alvarado looked for Charles Thompsons in the area on social media. Unfortunately, after sending a few messages, they never heard back. That’s when the young woman had an idea: she and her mother should visit the address on the envelope!
When they arrived at the apartment, though, they once again recieved no answer. So, Alvarado and her mother left a note, hoping the missing Thompson would call them…
Returning the Stimulus Check
Eventually, the resident of the apartment called Alvarado back. However, it turns out that they had moved in after Charles Thompson (above, right). “He told me in the phone call that he must’ve accidentally thrown [Thompson’s] check away, but he never had seen it was a check,” Alvarado said. “He told me that it was amazing that my dad found it and that there are not many people that would do such a thing.”
Thankfully, just a few hours later, fate rewarded the family: Thompson’s girlfriend noticed the social media message and responded! “We were so happy,” Alvarado said. “We returned the check the next day around 7 a.m., and Charles was so grateful.”
Thompson, an Army veteran, had a hard time finding the words to explain just how much the act meant to him. “I was behind on rent, I work construction, so I work by the day, and I just try to keep going and going as best I can, and that money helped put me ahead and put me on the right track a little bit, to get back on my feet,” Thompson said. “From my old apartment, to the trash can, to a great person like Michelle Alvarado and her father finding it and Michelle doing the leg work to find me, I mean, what else do you call that?” Now, people are showing just how they much appreciate the family helping this veteran!
Searching For Support
Unfortunately, the family that returned the check didn’t get any stimulus money this time. Alvarado said that her 52-year-old father is trying his best to earn some funds for their family, but it’s been hard for them. Both her parents got into a serious car accident two years ago, making her mother unable to do usual tasks and get back to her work position. So, she created a GoFundMe page to raise money for her father and mother.
“Ever since then, my mom has been unable to work and suffers from inflammation and pain every day,” Alvarado wrote there. “Working from sunrise to sundown is also taking its toll on my dad.” So, if you can help them, as they helped Thompson, please do at their GoFundMe page.
Sources: 13 News Now, MSN.