LAKE JACKSON, Texas – Move over Jake from State Farm, Jake from H-E-B is the newest, helpful Texas sensation!
On Sunday, Facebook user Ryan Birdsong posted a now-viral photo of Jake Pate, an employee at the H-E-B in Lake Jackson. Birdsong captioned the photo by detailing the kind act Pate had just done for an H-E-B customer.
"I was about three people behind the lady checking out," Birdsong wrote. "She did not have enough money for the things she had on the counter. Jake didn’t flinch or bat an eye. He noticed she could use the help, pulled his own wallet out, turned the credit card machine around to face him, swiped his own credit card, and casually said 'Merry Christmas.'"
The post has been shared more than 45,000 times and has been liked more than 124,000 times, with people applauding Pate for his compassion.
The post caught the attention of Shannon Whitley and the Taylor Whitley SHOW UP scholarship foundation, according to KSAT's sister station in Houston, KPRC 2.
The Houston TV station reported that Whitley and the scholarship foundation awarded Pate with a $500 scholarship, hoping it would encourage him to "continue to show up for others.”
The scholarship foundation was set up in honor of Whitley's husband, Taylor Whitley.
Pate told KPRC 2 he felt inspired to step in because the woman whose groceries he paid for had just helped pay for someone else's groceries.
“Because she did something good, I felt like it was my responsibility to return the favor,” Pate told KPRC. “You know, in the spirit of doing good.”
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I want everyone to meet Jake at H-E-B. I was about 3 people behind the lady checking out. She did not have enough money...
Posted by Ryan Birdsong on Sunday, December 23, 2018