SACRAMENTO, California — Twin Rivers Unified School District teacher Karen DeLodder says it was a normal Monday morning when she went to the dollar store to buy school supplies.
But a brief conversation with a stranger behind her in the check out line led to the stranger offering to pay for all of DeLodder's school supplies.
The stranger pulled out her card to pay before the long-time educator could turn down the offer. DeLodder says she was left in awe as it was the first time she encountered a stranger wanting to help her with back-to-school supplies.
"I've been working as a teacher for 39 years, and quite possibly my last, and no one seeing me shop has offered to pay for my supplies," she told ABC10. "This wonderful woman... and I should have asked for her name or if she wanted the receipt for her taxes."
For DeLodder, sharing a classroom with another teacher for Las Palmas Elementary's dual language immersion program means overseeing as many as 50 students, so she's collecting all the supplies she can before some come from the district.
She posted on NextDoor looking for the dollar store stranger.
"People started commenting on my post offering their supplies or just showing their support," said DeLodder. "I actually just got back from picking up a box of pencil pouches for students' binders."
It was a heartwarming story for Greenhaven neighborhood resident Pamela Holdredge, a retired teacher who said she also frequented the Dollar Tree for school supplies. She remembers spending anywhere from $100-200 per year on supplies for her students.
"So, if someone offered to buy my supplies at the store I would've been very touched and probably would have cried happy tears," said Holdredge. "It warms my heart when teachers are honored."