BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — Bakersfield is home to many holiday drives that aim to help those in need this time of year.
But Bakersfield mom and business owner, Christie Ludwick, said the holiday season is all about finding ways to give back all the time.
"I thought, what a great idea," said Ludwick.
You may have seen Shock and Claus posts going around on social media, where a group of people goes to a restaurant and at the end of their meal surprises their server with a big tip.
"I'm all about supporting local, and Milt's came to mind," said Ludwick.
Ludwick took to Facebook to enlist her friends and family.
"We had 26 of us show up, and she just worked that room and didn't mess one thing up," she said.
Each couple or family brought a $100 bill to breakfast. they got their check, paid it and stacked the rest of the money on top.
"At the end my friend called her in and asked if she could pray over here and she said yes," said Ludwick. "At the end we were all teary-eyed and she was crying."
As the server, Justine Cline, started to leave, Ludwick stopped her. They were able to give her more than $,1100, which Justine said hanged her life.
"It was the best thing that has ever, ever happened to me, and I just want to say thank you so much to the family that did that," said Cline.
Cline said she wants the family to know the money went to someone who really needed it.
"My husband did get sick in December and still to this day we don't really know what's going on. and i have been the only one working and so this last year has been tough," she explained.
Justine said she was able to put the money towards bills that have been stacking up.
"It was unbelievable. I broke down and started crying," said Cline.
Ludwick said it was a great reminder to be kind to everyone all year, not just during the holidays.
"Right now we are very blessed and i don't feel like we should keep it to ourselves. I feel like we need to go out of our way to bless other people," she said.
And she said if you're trying to make someone's day better, it doesn't have to be about money.
"One smile or one positive gesture can leave a huge impact on somebody," she said.
