School gifts hardworking custodian a wholesome surprise after learning he walks to work

It is not often that life bestows someone with miracles. Chris Jackson, who worked as a janitor at Unity Grove Elementary in 2021, got a heartwarming surprise from his colleagues after they found him struggling with his commute. They learned he was walking to work on days he couldn't catch a ride and decided to come together and gift him a car to make his life easier. They wanted to do something special for the school custodian because in all the years they have known him, they found him to be an absolute stand-up guy, reports 11Alive. He always showed up for them and they wanted to do the same in return. A moving video of Jackson's reaction to their wholesome surprise was shared by the school on Facebook where it touched the hearts of many.

The post was accompanied by a sweet caption that reads: "Today was one of those days that makes you smile for hours. Through the generosity of our staff, we have been able to bless our head custodian, Mr. Chris, in his time of need." Ms. Combs and Ms. MacDonald, Jackson's colleagues, saw him in dire straits and began collecting funds to "help him find housing and utility payments," the school added. They also raised enough money to get him a car through a collective effort. As it turns out, fate was also on the custodian's side, as the vehicle turned out to be his favorite car. He was "stunned" that his friends arranged this surprise for him.

The video shared by Unity Grove Elementary begins with Jackson being led to his gift by a woman. Although he was a little confused initially, he realized what was happening when she handed him the keys to the car. He could not believe it and just stood there flabbergasted. They informed him that although they had collected $15k, the car cost a bit more than that. At that point, the institution intervened and made the kind gesture a reality. The woman said, "The entire school got together and raised the rest of the money." Blown away by their kindness, Jackson looked up at the sky and thanked God. He felt blessed to have such friends who would go to such lengths for his happiness.

Still in disbelief, Jackson repeatedly said, "This is not real. It is not real. I never would have dreamed of something like this. This is mind-blowing to me." Although he'd seen miracles like this happen to other people on the internet, never in his wildest dreams did he think it could happen to him. In the video, his colleagues enthusiastically tell him how they learned about the car, put up a Facebook post to raise money and brought the vehicle there. The clip ends with Jackson finally making his way to the car.

The comments section of the Facebook post was in awe of the gesture. Mekisha Cooks loved how everyone came together for this good deed and wrote: "This brought tears to my eyes. There are great people in this world, no matter [their] gender or color. We all bleed the same color! Humanity is at its best! God is good!" Shirley Harris wished for more kind gestures like this and commented, "We need so much more of this! It's called love! And not what you say. It is what you do. Love is action! It shows up!"