(LEX 18) — A Kentucky store is trying to track down a family after receiving a heartwarming letter from a young boy who wanted to make things right.
The Red River Gorge General Store received a handwritten letter last Saturday from a child who had visited with his family. The letter, postmarked from the Atlanta area, contained an apology and $3 to pay for candy his little brother had taken without paying.
"I opened it up and I read it and it was just this wonderful letter from a little boy who had come and visited us and found out his little brother had taken a brownie-flavored cow tail and he thought it had been paid for and it had not," said Adrienne McMahon, manager of the Red River Gorge General Store.
The candy costs $1.99, but the boy had sent $3 to cover the cost.
McMahon said the gesture represents something much more significant than just paying for candy.
"It really made me have faith in humanity. It's a level of integrity that I don't think is common. And the fact that a little kid -- a tiny human -- wrote this letter out apologizing, taking responsibility, shows that he is a good little guy, obviously comes from great parents," McMahon said.
The story has attracted significant attention on social media, with the store's Facebook post receiving thousands of likes, shares, and comments.
"Yes, it does stem from someone walking out the door with something without paying for it, but everyone who reads it understands that this little kid has integrity," McMahon said.
Now, McMahon is trying to locate the family to thank them and send them a basket of goodies from the store, which is known for its ice cream and fudge. She believes she knows who they are based on the letter's return address.
"I wanted to send them some fudge, and there's a lot of allergens—food allergens—in fudge, and I didn't want to send some if they had nut allergies in the house," McMahon said.
The store's company wants to offer the family even more – a two-night stay at a nearby cabin.
"We want them to come back and we want to celebrate the integrity that this whole family is demonstrating," McMahon said.
She hopes others will follow this young boy's example.
"Everybody can take a lesson from this, young or old. All of us can recognize a wrong, correct it, and live life with integrity and positivity and that's the message I got from this letter," McMahon said.
McMahon plans to frame the letter and the $3, believing they have "good energy," but says she will return another $3 to the boy to thank him for his honesty.
