JoAnn Oliver was raised to know that when something is “not yours, you don’t keep it.”
Little did she know that someday, she was going to put that valuable lesson into practice — and at the least expected place: her local KFC.
It all started with a craving for chicken pot pie…
“I told my boss I’m going to KFC,” JoAnn said. “I’m gonna get a pot pie that I wanted.”
When she ordered, JoAnn was told that they were out of chicken pot pie, and instead, she decided to order a sandwich. Everything seemed normal when she got her order, so she drove back to her work to eat her lunch.
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When JoAnn finally opened her lunch, she found something more than her sandwich and the fries that she had ordered… There was a big stash of cash placed underneath her meal! $543.10 to be exact.
JoAnn, who is currently caring for her husband as he battles terminal cancer, vaguely considered what she could do with this money. However, she knew in her heart that keeping the money wasn’t the right thing to do, so she called the non-emergency line for the local police.
“I literally did not want anything to do with the money,” JoAnn said. “That’s why I put it back in the bag and slid it to the side. I didn’t touch it even after that.”
Once the police arrived, JoAnn accompanied them to the KFC restaurant. There, one of the workers revealed that it was all a mistake and that the money was actually meant to be deposited. Moreover, the worker shared that this mistake could’ve likely cost the manager their job.
Finally, JoAnn was refunded for her lunch and was given a new sandwich. But before she drove back to work (again) the Jackson Police Department took a picture of her and wrote a heartwarming post that they published on their Facebook account.
“Character and integrity is doing the right thing when no one is looking!!!” the post read. “Not only did Mrs. Oliver do the right thing but she saved the managers job. Mrs. Oliver thank you for reminding us that we have amazing Citizens in Jackson and its people like you that make us great!“
Sometimes, it can be hard to do the right thing, but JoAnn’s example shows us that the outcome can be much more rewarding than any amount of money in the world. Plus, they say when you do the right thing, better and bigger things happen. And this might actually be the case for JoAnn.
It turns out some of the leaders at KFC got in touch with her to set up a GoFundMe account to help raise money for her husband’s care. And so far, it has raised more than $5,000.
We love to see that she is getting rewarded for her selfless act!
Share this story to inspire others to do the right thing just like JoAnn did.
