'I feel loved': Phoenix Safeway employee surprised with new bike for Christmas

Arcadia Safeway employee surprised with new bike by customer

FOX 10's Brian Webb reports.

PHOENIX - The Christmas season is the time of giving, and small gestures can often go unnoticed - but not this time.

This random act of kindness dates back about two months and includes 80 people in all. It was born out of a friendship between a customer and an employee and their brief conversation about a bike.

Safeway employee Richard Robinson was called into work on Dec. 16. Not to cover a shift, but to get a surprise Christmas gift from a customer.

"This means a lot more to me than you could ever know," Robinson said.

Richard has been working at a Safeway in the Arcadia area for many years and often ride his bike 4 miles each way to work and back. But his bike has seen better days.

When he said that to customer Sherry Celine, her wheels started spinning.

"OK, Sherry's going to spring into action a random act of kindness," Celine said.

Sherry jumped on social media and raised donations in tandem with dozens of other do-gooders.

"When I give a gift, it's a gift to me when they accept it," Celine said. "That's my happiness as well as theirs."

Sherry bought the bike at Costco, along with a light, lock, water bottle and reflective jacket. She also received some help from Bike Haus along the way.

Now Richard is back in the saddle on a better bike, thanks to a current customer who decided to pay it forward.

"I feel loved," Robinson said.