Hody Childress, a farmer from Geraldine at Atop Sand Mountain, Alabama, lived with a secret, changing the lives of many of his neighbours.
The town is home to about 900 hard-working residents. It’s the kind of place where everyone knows everyone’s name.
What the residents didn’t know is that for 10 years, Hody was donating $100 (R1,700) a month to his local pharmacy for those who couldn’t afford to pay for their medicine.
Childress had served in the Air Force and worked many jobs, from farming to aircraft manufacturing.
According to WVTV13, in 1973 Hody lost his son. In 1999 he lost his wife Peggy, who he had to carry into the stands at Friday night football games because she had multiple sclerosis.
It was in 2012 when he made his way to Geraldine Drugs. He handed owner Brooke Walker $100 and said, “this is for anybody who can’t afford their prescription.”
According to Walker, Childress told him that he must not tell a soul where the money came from.
“Tell them it’s a blessing from God,” he said.
“Each and every month, year after year, he would walk into the drug store and hand me $100,” Walker said.
“I kept my word of not telling anyone, even the family. Eventually, I did start taking a little money here, a little money there, just to help people who were struggling.”
As the years ticked by, Childress’s fund grew into thousands of dollars.
At the age of 80, fighting chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other health issues, he was having trouble getting around. So he asked his daughter Tania Nix to carry on what he had started.
She said she was shocked, as “I had no idea that he was helping people at the drugstore.” But she agreed.
Childress died on New Year’s Day, and so his story of giving back can now be told.
And there will continue to be plenty of money in the fund to continue his decades-old practice of helping his neighbours pay for their medicine.
Compiled by Mashudu Mabila
Image source: www.wvtm13.com
