The person that hands you your coffee every morning is more than an employee- they gradually become your friend.
They know how you prefer to drink your coffee, they can tell when you’re in a good or a bad mood, they know when you’re off from work, when you’re on holiday or when you’re sick.
Similarly, you get to know them, too. You may chat about your families and lives, and little by little you become close.
Suzanne Burke is a loyal Dunkin’ Donuts customer. She goes there every day to get her morning coffee, and she had become close with the employee who serves her, Ebony Johnson.
“I go every morning,” Burke told WCPO. “Ebony has worked the drive-thru for three years and really has provided amazing customer service.”
Burke is very happy with Johnson’s service and attitude, and it just made her day to have this sweet woman hand her her coffee every morning.
Over the years, Johnson has shared details from her life, such as that she’s a single mom of three, and Burke admired her for working hard to provide for her family.
Then one day, Ebony wasn’t there when Suzanne stopped by to get her coffee. This continued for days, and Burke was curious to know what had happened.
The woman reached out to Johnson to ask if she was okay, and the single mom told her that she was going through hardship. She and her kids had been evicted from their home, and they had no place to stay.
Burke knew that this was not fair. Johnson and her family deserved a new, safe home.
“I just wanted to see if I could help her just improve her life and the life for her kids,” Burke said. “I wanted to make sure that they had stable housing, so that she could continue to provide the excellent service she does at Dunkin’.”
Indeed, Burke, in collaboration with staging designer Jo Potvin of Design to Market, found the perfect house for Johnson and her family.
“[It’s the] perfect time of the year to feel like you’re spreading joy,” Potvin told WCPO.
Burke and Potvin also received help from New Life Furniture Bank, an organization that receives household items and gives them at no charge to people in need.
“It’s as much a gift for us as it is for them, to be able to provide this for them,” said Dana Saxton, executive director.
The young mother couldn’t hold back her tears when she saw her new house, and she kept repeating how thankful she was to all who contributed to this surprise.
Her children, too, were excited to see their new bedrooms, and the smile on their faces said it all.
This new home was the best Christmas gift this family could have received.
“I’m just so thankful we’re back in our home,” Johnson said. “The Lord really looked out for me because I kept praying and saying, ‘Could I be at home before Christmas?’”
Watch their reactions in the video below.
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