A customer left a $3,000 tip on a $40 check—and a very touching holiday message

‘Tis the season for kindness.

When the holidays come around, there are enough feel-good stories make even the Grinch feel cheerful! This year, it seems many people around the world are feeling extra generous. So far, Secret Santas have paid for strangers’ layaway toys, and Christmas dinner for the homeless will be served at a London subway station.

Generous Tip From A Regular Customer

The latest act of kindness happened at a diner in Bellevue, Washington. One regular customer made the holidays a lot merrier for the staff. Dwayne Clark, CEO of Aegis Living, made his routine visit to The Brief Encounter Cafe. He sat in his typical booth and ordered his usual breakfast.

Only this particular morning, when he paid for his eggs over easy, hash browns and bacon he left a $3,000 tip for the staff to share. The bill was just under $40.

“I eat there a lot and the people who work there have great attitudes, are really hardworking people,” Clark told TODAY. “So when my wife returned to the restaurant from Christmas shopping, we just started talking about the meaning of Christmas … I got the check and I said, ‘I think we’re going to change some people’s lives today.'”

That’s not all. Clark’s good will continued with a message on the back of the check. He wrote:

“You guys do a great job! When I was 7, I washed dishes and my mom cooked in a diner just like this. We were dirt poor and didn’t have money for Christmas. Hopefully, this will help all of you have a better Christmas.”

Living In A Time Of “Not Connecting With Each Other”

Clark didn’t want any recognition for his generosity. However, now that he’s in the spotlight he hopes others will follow his example.

“We are living in this great time of not connecting with each other—whether it’s the political situation, or whether it’s technology,” Clark told TODAY. “I think the reason (people like this story) is not because of the money, but because of this shared connection.”

Now, based on photos shared on the cafe’s Facebook page, it looks like a cozy, wonderful diner. We can see why Clark would frequent it. This sign alone would certainly makes us want to go there:

What a touching story, and we hope the workers at that diner have a very Merry Christmas!

Another Feel-Good Story

Staff members at a middle school in Dallas, Texas were just hoping a few dozen men would show up for its “Breakfast with Dads” event — but they got a few hundred instead.

On Dec. 4, a Facebook post reading “Please Share! Men Needed!” explained that Billy Earl Dade Middle School needed at least 50 men to show up to the event on Dec. 14 because “the reality of a great event like this is alot (sic) of our kids will not have a dad present.”

On the day of the event, the school got the minimum number of volunteers needed—and then some. About 600 men volunteered to spend part of their morning in Dade’s auditorium, eating a meal with boys that many of them had probably never met. Men of all races, ages and backgrounds showed up to be surrogate dads and mentors.

In the past, Dade has been one of the poorest performing schools in the Dallas area, according to KXAS-TV. But on Dec. 14, the community went a long way to help the kids there know how much they matter.

“When a young person sees someone other than their teacher take interest in them, it inspires them,” Rev. Donald Parish, the event’s organizer told the Dallas Morning News. “These kids need all the support they can get to be successful.”

According to the Dallas Morning News, staff members at Dade have been working to improve the school’s standardized test scores and have been successful. The school is hoping to hold more community events like “Breakfast with Dads” to help inspire its students to stay upbeat.

The school has another community mentorship event planned for spring. If this event was any indication, they’d better have enough folding chairs!