One man is on a mission to pay it forward in the community that raised him.
Tommy Kelley, 38, an Oklahoma City native, surprised Putnam City Public Schools with a massive donation of $10,000 to help pay off student lunch debt.
“It’s just a way during this season to take burdens off the parents who can’t afford lunches, you know, it’s no fault of their own,” Kelley told Fox News. “Not every school is subsidized here. We try just to alleviate as much as we can so they can pay an electric bill or buy an extra gift.”
Kelley wanted to give back to the school system he is a product of – alleviating one-third of the school’s student lunch debt – but he didn’t stop there.
The next day he donated $1,000 to a low-income elementary school in the city, and the day after that he donated $4,000 to Putnam City’s Care Share/Penny’s Closet Programs that provide Christmas gifts, coats, shoes, and more to kids in need.
Kelley made the donations through his foundation, the Some Day Soon Foundation, which he started a year ago after getting a second chance at life.
“Twenty-eight months ago I was given a second chance at life when I decided to become sober. I decided the only way to pay back the chance I was given was to start doing the right thing, and the right thing is helping those in need, and if my story of sobriety can help someone else or inspire someone then it’s worth it,” he said.
Just one year ago, he was serving pizza and hamburgers out of the trunk of his car to homeless people as his way of paying it forward. Today, they serve up to 1,000 homeless people every month.
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He chose the name "Some Day Soon Foundation" to inspire others.
“Today might not be okay, but someday soon it will be,” Kelley said. “There is hope for you yet.”