She had been feeding strangers every night for fifteen years — until one night, a black SUV stopped in front of her and made her cry.

“There were three of us,” Lila replied. “Runaways. We hid near the swings. Those meals saved our lives that winter.”

Margaret’s throat tightened. « Oh, my heart… »

Lila moved closer and placed the envelope in Margaret’s trembling hands. « We wanted to thank you. We thought you must know—what you did didn’t just feed us. It gave us a reason to believe that the world still contains goodness. »

Inside, there was a letter and a check. Margaret’s vision blurred as she read:

Dear Mrs. Shaw,

You gave us food when we had nothing. Today, we want to offer others what you gave us — hope.

We created the Margaret Shaw Scholarship Fund for homeless youth. The first three recipients will be starting university this fall. We used the name you once wrote on a lunch bag— »Mr. Shaw. » We thought it was time the world knew who she was.

With love,
Lila, June and Erin