WAYNESVILLE, Ohio — Needing some last-minute groceries just days before Christmas, Kelly Schilling ordered a delivery on Uber Eats.
Like any typical delivery, Lisa Burnett accepted the order, picked the items up and dropped them off at Schilling's house Saturday morning. The next day, Burnett said she got an alert on her phone.
"I looked and there was $130 there, I said 'OK, something's wrong,'" Burnett said.
Burnett told WCPO that she reached out to Uber Eats and was told the money was "miscellaneous," so she assumed it was an accidental charge, and set out to return the money.
"I was scared someone was going to be without a Christmas if they couldn’t account for that money," Burnett said.
On Sunday, Dec. 22, Burnett returned to Schilling's home to tell her something may have gone wrong. But it wasn't. Little did she know, the tip was all hers — a special gift from a stranger.
“She could’ve very easily taken the tip, and I never would’ve heard from her. And that would’ve been fine! It was for her," Schilling said.
Their full interaction was caught on Schilling's Ring camera, showing how two people became forever connected.
“Did they give you the money?" Schilling asked.
"Yes," Burnett replied.
"It was for you!" Schilling said.
Moved by Burnett's kindness and concern, Schilling wanted to find a way to say thank you. She posted their interaction on TikTok and got thousands of views within hours.
"A couple of hours later, I had 5,000 people saying 'Where is she?'" Schilling said.
@kelly09282 At Christmas, I think its fun to surprise people with large tips. 2 days ago, I had a grocery delivery and thought it would be nice to gift the driver a $100 tip through the app. Today, I was the one surprised when the same driver shows up at my door. Instead of taking the money, she was worried there had been an error and wanted to make sure nobody had stolen my credit cards. In this time of need, how amazing that someone would go out of their way to try and make things right. I may have given her the gift of money, but she gave me a much larger gift- a reminder of human decency, gratitude and the Christmas spirit. #ringcamrea#santa#ring#happy#hopecore#fyp#heartwarming #tip#money#doorbell#kindness #loving#sweet#hope ♬ original sound - kelly0928
So she began a mission to track down the woman who just arrived at her doorstep. Schilling said she searched Google and White Pages to find the right Lisa Burnett. Eventually, she found her phone number and asked her to return to her house.
Burnett said she was originally worried that she had done something wrong by returning to a house she delivered to days before, but it was the opposite. Schilling welcomed Burnett in and gave her more gifts — including a new jacket and $250 in gift cards.
@kelly09282 If you liked her before, you’ll love her more now. We got it right! (This is Part 2- if you missed the first one that went viral-check it out so you know why we love Lisa). We found Lisa and surprised her with everything that’s happened over the last 24 hours. We tried to shorten this some but left in all the best parts. The only one I missed was when Lisa said she was worried someone had drank too much eggnog and that’s why they tipped so big. 🤣 GoFund Me in comments! Thank you all for being so amazing and making this a reality. ❤️❤️#ringcamera #ring #generous #christmas #surprise #fyp #christmasmiracle #hope #heartwarming ♬ original sound - kelly0928
She also told Burnett that more than 90,000 people had watched their video, and wanted to donate and help Burnett.
That unexpected blessing could not have come at a better time.
“I’m grieving really, really bad. I lost my daughter five years ago. And I’m raising her beautiful daughter," said Burnett in the now-viral video.
Burnett explained to Schilling that morning that she had applied for Public Housing Assistance. Now, the pair created a GoFundMe for Burnett and her granddaughter.
As of Thursday, Dec. 26, people have donated more than $35,000 to help Burnett and her granddaughter find a home.
When we asked if this surprising moment changed her life, Burnett replied, "Ten-fold."
"Lisa represents exactly why this story is viral and what people want more of in the world," Schilling said.
Now, the pair is forever attached, showing how much kindness can change lives and that Christmas miracles are real.
