Imagine you go into a coffee shop, have a cup, and when it comes to paying your bill they tell you it’s already been paid for. Wouldn’t that be wonderful? Well, that’s exactly what’s happening at the Corner Perk Cafe in Bluffton, South Carolina. It all started in 2010 with a random act of kindness.

The Corner Perk was just a regular coffee place until one day, when a customer left a $100 bill with the owner, Josh Cooke. Apparently she wanted the money to be used to pay for the drinks of all the people who came in after, until it runs out. According to Cooke it was “just to let them know, you know, that somebody was wanting them to have a great day and just to let them know to pay it forward.” Needless to say, customers who came in all afternoon were puzzled when they found they didn’t have to pay for their coffee.

Photo © Corner Perk Cafe

This wasn’t the last time the mysterious coffee-donor paid the Corner Perk a visit. Apparently, she’s been there another eight times in the past two years. When Josh posted her most recent visit on the coffee shop’s Facebook page, the word spread quickly. More donors came forward to continue the trend. Cooke says the anonymous lady who started the trend had a kind heart and wanted goodness to spread in the area. Her efforts did not go unrewarded. Lots of people who heard about the tradition at Corner Perk Cafe simply walked in to the shop and left money, without even ordering anything for themselves. A jar now stands on the counter with dollar bills to pay for people’s coffee.

Josh says, “We just want people to continue to pay it forward in any way — whether that’s helping somebody with their electric bill or you know, filling up somebody’s car with gas.” I say this just goes to show that humanity isn’t dead after all.