Pay It Forward Stories

Stacey Hubbard of Rancho Cucamonga, California, chooses to help House of Ruth, an emergency shelter for battered women and their children. During the holidays, House of Ruth sets up a shop where mothers and children may choose gifts for each other, free of charge!

Stacey is inspired and wants to get involved. She and her 11-year-old son shop together to stock the gift shop full of goodies. They spend $855 on clothes, jewelry, toys, journals, Bibles and other items for House of Ruth. She donates the remaining $145, along with an additional $170 from co-workers, to the shelter so they could purchase other necessities. The House of Ruth staff "were ecstatic!" Stacey says. "They do great work at this facility, and they said all of the gifts were perfect for all of the age ranges."

Making the children smile and giving mothers hope made Stacey feel so great that she hopes other people get in on the act.

"There's a war going on. There are a lot of bad things in the world," Stacey says. "But I believe there's more good than there is bad, and I think if this [giving] catches on, we can do a lot of good with this."