Anne Marie Catagas went into Mckenzie United Church Thrift Shop last weekend to pick up a few things for her and her daughter. As she approached the checkout, she realized that the thrift shop only took cash, when all she had was debit.

Catagas, left with no other options, politely asked the volunteers at the checkout if she could run to the bank and come back. The Portage resident was then approached by a random woman who offered to pick up what she owed.

"I was stunned that somebody would come up and pay for my bill," says the Portager, who notes this was the first time anyone had offered to do something like this for her.

Catagas says she was shocked someone would step up like that for her and even declined the gesture. However, according to McKenzie Thrift Store employees, the other woman, who has done this more than once, insisted that she would cover the bill.

"Some people paint Portage in such a dark colour, and there's so much stuff going around, and I just wanted to share that light because it's very warming and selfless."

Catagas says that having gone through this experience, she will be making a conscious effort in the future to pay forward the actions she was the beneficiary of over the weekend.

The Portage mother notes that this will also have a long-lasting impact on her daughter, a Fort la Reine kindergarten student, who thanked the woman who paid for her mom's bill.