HUNTSVILLE, Ala. —

Rodney Smith Jr., of Huntsville, Alabama, is a hard-working man.

Known as "The Lawnmower Man," Smith is also a man who, last week, did an extraordinary thing.

Smith loves to give back. For years, he’s been giving back to older individuals, veterans, single parents, people with disabilities, active military and first responders.

When Smith, in 2017, mowed a lawn for a neighbor in need, it felt so good that he mowed another lawn, and then another – all for free. Over the last six years, Smith has traveled to all 50 states to mow lawns for free. Thousands upon thousands of lawns have been mowed.

Smith's Raising Men And Women Lawn Car Service is offering a 50 Yard Challenge, which allows teens and pre-teens to be awarded a mower, a blower and a trimmer if they mow 50 lawns during their summer break.

Two 11-year-olds from Gadsden, Alabama, have created TJ & JT Mowing Service. It seems the kids recently ran to the rescue of an older woman who was holding a mower in one and a walker in the other. Ja’Torrian Taylor and Tevin Rice grabbed the mower and finished the job. Their job of mowing lawns was just beginning.

"I’m heading down to Gadsden right now," Smith said as soon as he heard about the boys' story. "These are good, hard-working kids that deserve some gratitude," he continued. I told Rodney that Taylor and Rice were sharing an old lawnmower that was donated to them by a neighbor.

"I’m going to fix that," Smith said.

It was last Friday when Rodney braved the rain. TJ and JT were in awe as Rodney Smith, the Lawnmower Man, pulled up to the curb.

"Good morning, gentlemen," Smith said with a smile. "I’m about to make you honorary members of the 50 Yard Challenge Club!"

It was quite a scene. Two young kids of modest means standing together. Out of Smith's car came two lawnmowers, two blowers and two gas trimmers.

"Giving these boys lawn equipment is teaching them discipline," Smith said. "If they tell someone they are going to mow a lawn, they need to mow the lawn."

After teaching Taylor and Rice how to run the equipment – from gas mixtures to throttles to maintenance – Smith said goodbye.

"Remember, this is not the end; it’s just the beginning," Smith said as he encouraged the kids. "This could be the beginning of a successful lawn service."

I asked Taylor and Rice what they thought of their new lawn equipment. They were speechless as they toweled off the equipment after raindrops fell.

Smith probably won't receive national attention for his kind deed, but perhaps he should, because now it can be told: As Rodney Smith Jr. drove off into the mist, he had changed the lives of two good kids who have big dreams.

Big dreams that someday might come true.

Thanks to a good neighbor named the Lawnmower Man.

A small business owner in Waterford, Wisconsin, was reunited with his work portfolio and $5,000 in cash all thanks to a group of high school students who were in the exact right place at the right time. On May 15, Charles Jessup — the owner of Jessup Tree Services — was finishing up a job in East Troy, Wisconsin, when a client started talking to him. "As I was getting in my truck, the gentleman said, 'Hey Charles, one more tree,' and I said, 'OK, great,'" Jessup recalled. "Well, like a dummy, I put my portfolio on the back of my truck saying, 'Well I'm not going to forget this.'" He did forget it, though. Jessup said he drove off, and somewhere along Highway 20 between East Troy and Waterford, he ended up losing his open portfolio containing several important items including $5,000 in cash."My computer, OK, MacBook Air with my life, my business, records," Jessup said. "And then on the inside is where I had tucked the cash."Retracing his steps, Jessup said he found only his laptop. But he also spotted Waterford Union High School's Future Farmers of America students doing their spring roadside clean-up. "Charles pulled over on the side of the road, and he got my attention, because I was kind of toward the back of the group," Luke Hying, a Waterford Union junior and the FFA president, said. "At first, I was kind of a little confused. I'm like, 'What does this guy want?'"In a last-ditch effort, Jessup explained to the students his situation and asked them to call if they tracked down any of his items. "We were like, 'OK, we're probably not going to find it,'" sophomore Morgan Schoof said. "All of a sudden, I was like, 'there's a $50 bill right here.'""We found money after money after money, and then we found his portfolio," Hying added. "Then we found a bunch of papers with the portfolio. It was actually pretty crazy how much we found in that ditch."Jessup said he then received a phone call from Hying. "It went from having a terrible day, you know beating myself up for why would I be so stupid to leave that on the back of my truck, to like, 'Wow, what great kids,'" Jessup said.Monday, Jessup said thank you by hosting a party for the students during their lunch hour. "I really had no idea it would make such a big impact to Charles and so many people would see it as such a big event in the community," Hying said. The one act of kindness is inspiring more acts of kindness.Doc's on the Fox, a Waterford restaurant, donated pizzas for the party. "I wanted to re-enforce that sometimes doing the right things has benefits," Jessup said.

CINCINNATI — The expression “It’s the little things that mean a lot” has taken on a new meaning in these isolating times. Putting kind words to paper – from kids to senior citizens – makes for a much-needed communication during our current climate.

One of 96-year-old Pat Dorward’s prized possessions is a handwritten letter from a student at John Paul II Catholic School in Cincinnati.

“It’s beautiful,” she said. “Yep, it’s beautiful, so it means so much to you. Oh, I appreciate it so much.”

Dorward has gotten 10 letters so far. Students from kindergarten to eighth grade have been sending the letters to senior citizens as part of an ongoing religion project.

WCPO Staff

“This year we worked on those who were sick, the elderly or those isolated in their home,” John Paul II principal Norie Roach said.

Since the ongoing coronavirus pandemic prevented in-person visits, the kids – following guidance from their teachers – put pens to paper to lift the spirits of those who might feel lonely.

“I hope they learn how to do little things for others,” first-grade teacher Amanda Eagan said.

So far, the assignment seems to have made an impact on students.

“They need that reassurance that everything’s gonna be okay – and we’re here for them from a distance,” eighth-grader Hunter Gee said.

Sometimes, it’s sharing joke. Sometimes, it’s a verse. Sometimes, it’s just sharing something personal.

“When you write the letters, you just think, 'If I was in that position, how would I feel? What would make me feel better?'” seventh-grader McKenzie Jones said.

They’ve received responses from their senior pen pals in cards and letters, too. One person lost their best friend two days before they got the letters.

WCPO Staff

“Just knowing we were there for her, I think she felt supported and loved,” Gee said.

The students are learning to connect in a new way that isn’t digital.

“I’m reading a handwritten letter – it’s nice to have it,” Jones said. “You can cherish it without it being deleted in a second.”

Everyone involved talked about the joy that comes when people take time to take an interest. The next round of letters from John Paul II students goes out in February.

The staff at a Denver restaurant called Guard and Grace were stunned and grateful after a patron left a $6,800 tip, distributed among the 34 employees working there that night.

The generous guest signed the receipt “COVID bandit” and also wrote “COVID sucks” along with a smiley face. The receipt is similar to one previously signed at another cafe and is the same amount per employee, according to WFLA.

According to staff member Ben Moon, who was working that Saturday night when the tip was left, the patron had been talking with the general manager for some time. He then went to one of the private dining rooms, the staff were lined up, and he personally handed each of them $200 in cash.

“His reservation was literally under the name COVID Bandit,” said Moon.

“Whoever this person is …, thank you so much for your act of kindness and your sincere genuine caring thoughtfulness you just bestowed on our Guard and Grace staff," Chef Troy Guard said in a post on Facebook.

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“You gave out $6800 DOLLARS in total … you gave $200 to each employee… some were crying – some are jumping up and down – some are dancing !

I don’t know who you are Mr. COVID BANDIT - but from the bottom of my heart - and our entire staff ..... THANK YOU."

Related video above: Resourceful ways to store groceries so they last longer

When Tim and Deb Hennessy decided to go on a grocery run during last month's deadly winter storm in Texas, they had no idea the generosity they were in for.

Tim Hennessy told CNN he immediately regretted the trip when he saw the line of people outside, waiting to get into the Leander H-E-B Plus. But the couple wanted to be prepared in case conditions worsened.

The Hennessys shopped for about 15 minutes before the store lost power and the lights went out. He described hearing a collective groan.

Customers continued shopping for items they needed until a store manager asked them to head to the front, Hennessy said. He and his wife joined what he estimated to be a couple hundred people in a slow-moving checkout line.

"I honestly expected halfway in there that they're gonna say, 'Hey folks, leave your carts, we'll put the stuff away. Sorry for the inconvenience, but we have no way of registering this stuff,'" he told CNN.

Instead, Hennessy said the cashier waved them through the checkout lane, saying there wasn't time to bag anything.

He assumed the store would take his contact information for payment later. Yet, when he and his wife inquired about paying, he said the cashier just motioned them towards the door wishing them safe travels home.

"(I saw) all these people going out with carts, no bags ... and it kind of hit us. Wow! They're letting everybody leave without asking who they are, how much money do you have, nothing," Hennessy said.

Hennessy turned to his wife and saw her eyes tearing up.

"What a gesture in a moment with all these people. It's been a tough year for a lot of people with the COVID stuff. And then you got this storm where people's power's out. It was just a nice gesture for a company," he said.

That's when Deb Hennessy took a photo of customers with full carts waiting to exit the store.

Touched by the unexpected act of generosity they experienced, many customers decided to pay it forward as they left the store. Out in the parking lot, customers helped each other maneuver stuck carts and load unbagged groceries into strangers' cars.

"This older woman looked like she was in a (panic) and she couldn't get her car moving with the ice," Hennessy said. "She looked a little bit distraught, so I knocked on her window and three or four of us guys actually pushed her and got her moving."

Another gentleman had diapers falling out of his cart and his car was across the parking lot; Hennessy was able to help him get to his car.

On the ride home, the couple reflected on their experience.

"We just talked about, 'Wow, what did we just witness?' We both said, 'Isn't this funny how we almost regretted going there initially' ... (and) 'Oh this is gonna take an hour or longer to check out. Do we (need) the stuff we got, did we really have to get it today?'"

That night, Hennessy shared his experience on Facebook, hoping to spread some encouragement to his online circle of friends. He posted the photo Deb took along with his account of the shopping trip.

When he woke up the next morning, Hennessy was shocked to see his post had gone viral.

"I literally wrote my feelings that night for a couple hundred of my friends who may comment on it and say, 'Hey man, neat story,'" he told CNN.

Hennessy titled his post "The Heart of America," he said, because he and his wife felt it captured the humanity they experienced from a large grocery chain that had no obligation to give away products, even in a statewide emergency.

Related video from February: Lines wrap around Texas grocery stores as high demand during deadly storm persists

To show their gratitude for what he describes as a miracle, Hennessy says he called the H-E-B corporate number and asked for charities the company might like him to donate to. He and his wife donated what they would have spent on groceries to a local food pantry and a faith-based retreat center, he said.

"We wrote a check for both of them right away."

Replying to an email from CNN, H-E-B declined to comment on Hennessy's account of what happened at its Leander store. However, H-E-B's official Twitter account did confirm a version of his story.

H-E-B detailed for CNN their efforts to support Texas communities recovering from the winter storm — including a $1 million donation to Feeding Texas and a campaign in which H-E-B customers can donate online or in stores to support Texas food banks.

Days after his initial post went viral, Hennessy wrote on Facebook that he hopes the spirit of generosity continues to spread.

"We will rightfully fade from the scene as quickly as we came in with this story," Hennessy wrote, "but hopefully with this genuine act of kindness by H-E-B and thousands just like this across this country that happens each and every single day, America is reminded why God put us all here."