Why Tyler Perry paid for groceries of thousands of U.S. senior citizens
American actor and movie director Tyler Perry wanted to be known as the “Atlanta Angel”, not just in name but also in deed. His action at the grocery stores in the United States on Wednesday proved he is truly deserving of the sobriquet.
Just like the Bible told stories about an Angel Gabriel going about delivering unexpected good news to the people, Perry wowed thousands of senior citizens in Atlanta and New Orleans in the United States on Wednesday by anonymously paying for their groceries at 73 stores amid COVID-19 lockdown.
The pandemic has claimed the lives of more than 16,000 lives from over 450,000 confirmed cases in the U.S.
Perry’s act of charity was held during the stores’ senior hours, a time set aside for older citizens who are more vulnerable to COVID-19 to shop by themselves. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), over 95% of deaths in countries most affected by the pandemic occurred in those older than 60 years and more than 50% of all deaths were people aged 80 years or older.
Stores in the U.S and other parts of the world implemented special shopping hours for elderly citizens and other vulnerable groups to help ensure that they too are able to obtain food and other essentials before others empty the shelves during the rush hours.
This is why Perry chose the first hours of shopping dedicated to senior citizens to put smile on the faces of the people he believes are in need and relieving their financial burden. Kroger’s Atlanta stores revealed that nearly 3,000 senior citizens benefitted from Perry’s act of kindness. He had initially made the donation anonymously and only wanted to be known as the “Atlanta Angel,” but it didn’t take long before the secret got out.
The store tweeted:
👏 @tylerperry paid it forward and purchased groceries for nearly 3,000 senior shoppers today at Kroger stores across Atlanta. You can see how much this means by the look on their faces. Thank you, Tyler, for your generosity! 💙 pic.twitter.com/L57nfNqm3g
— Kroger (@kroger) April 8, 2020
The store’s manager Felix Turner said: “We would like to join our customers in thanking Mr Perry for his kindness and generosity during this unprecedented pandemic. It was truly a pleasure to see our customers fill with joy and gratitude as the news spread throughout 44 stores across Metro Atlanta.”
