A generous farmer in Jacksonville, Fla., walked into a Costco and bought 100 generators for people in the Bahamas on Wednesday, in a random act of kindness meant to help victims of the ferocious Hurricane Dorian.
Jacksonville resident Alec Sprague says he witnessed the Good Samaritan’s purchase while he was shopping for a generator for himself at Costco.
“Was just in Costco off Collins getting a generator (at $450 each) and this guy right here is purchasing over 100 generators and food to send to the Bahamas!” Sprague wrote in a Facebook post on Wednesday morning. The post included a photo of the shopper from behind. “All I could do was shake his hand and thank him!” Sprague wrote. “There are still good people in this world!”
The man spent a total of $49,285.70 to buy the generators and several other disaster-relief essentials, including beans, peas, coffee, salt and pepper, CNN reports.
The man identified himself only as a “farmer,” and asked CNN that he not be named.
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“It’s important that we help each other out. It’s better than just sitting there,” the man told CNN. “You see a need and you fill it.”
He said he’s sending the supplies to Grand Bahama and Abaco, the two Bahamian islands that were hit the hardest by Dorian.
“About 100 generators and a truck load of food and chainsaws are all going over by boat on Thursday to Marsh Harbour in the Bahamas,” he said. “It’s terrible and I’m sure you’ve seen the photos.”
WATCH: Hurricane Dorian leaves a trail of destruction in the Bahamas
Bahamian boat captain Errol Thurston is working with the anonymous farmer to bring the supplies to those who need it most.
“We are trying to book a slot on a container ship that regularly services the Abacos and Grand Bahama,” Thurston told CNN on Wednesday. “The guys are doing everything in their power to get us a slot there. They know the desperation. The people really, really need these items.”
Thurston posted photos and video of the stockpiled relief goods on Facebook. The photos show chainsaws, generators and food stacked on various skids in a warehouse.
“Hold firm,” he wrote.
Dorian slammed into the Bahamas as a Category 5 hurricane late Sunday and spent approximately a day and a half stalled over the islands. The storm dumped nearly a metre of rain on Grand Bahama and Abaco, while its winds tore off roofs and sent cars tumbling.
At least 20 are dead and Grand Bahama’s main airport is still underwater, making it difficult to bring aid to the region.
Forecasters had predicted last week that the storm would barrel through the Bahamas and hit Florida. However, Dorian shifted its path earlier this week and is now heading toward the Carolinas as a Category 3 storm.