By: Donovan W. Mann – donovanm@977thebolt.com
Earlham, IA – A small Iowa town sees an anonymous donor make a big impact to help the local economy in trying times.
According to Earlham Mayor Jeff Lillie on March 26 he received a phone call from what would become a middle man in communication between an anonymous donor to three Earlham businesses and the city. The donor had a plan but needed the cities help to execute the plan.
Lillie says the man told him the plan was boost the local economy by buying 100 gift cards from two local restaurants and the local grocery store and distribute them to people in need. Lillie says it wasn’t long until the third party called him back and said the donor was going to up the number to 250 gift cards. The donor ended up donating to all 549 households in Earlham. The final dollar amount $84,350.
Lillie says that the response has been overwhelming from both the businesses and citizens of Earlham. He says it really helps that the two restaurants to have the extra cash in order to stay open and that Earlham would have been deeply impacted in more ways than one if they lost either of the restaurants. He also cites that some people in Earlham who were impacted by COVID-19 through layoffs now have the relief to purchase essentials from the local grocery store thanks to the gift cards.
In these difficult times, Lillie says that its definitely provided a positive impact to beyond the financials to their community. “It’s definitely, at the very least, brought a smile to everybody’s face” he says. He while the dollar amount definitely provides a huge relief to many in Earlham, this is a huge boost to everyone in these dark times.
Lillie thanks the anonymous donor for their generosity to the City of Earlham. He says that neither he nor the city knows the identity of the donor but hopes they know he and the community are very grateful for their generosity. “I hope they hear every one of these interviews I get the chance to do” he says “I don’t want to seem as though I’m trying to take any of the credit. All the credit goes to them; I’m just the one who gets to help spread the word.”
While the identity of the donor may never be public knowledge the impact of their action should be as a means to spread positivity and hope in these difficult times.