The Good Samaritan, known only as Steve, told CBS46 News that he wanted to give to people in person rather than donating through a charity because he thought a lot of people in his community could use financial assistance around Christmas time.
"I've had a couple of people who are so shocked - they think I'm trying to scam them - so they look over at the police officer who is sitting there. He nods his head and smiles and tells them 'it's OK,'" Steve said. "Then I've had a couple of people who still don't want to do it."
Steve says his desire to give back to others comes from losing his wife Lou right before Christmas last year.
"She's a great person, we had a lot of fun together," Steve said of his late wife. "I was in the Army, so we traveled together. We got married when I was a lieutenant, and we moved 22 times in 27 years, so we did a lot of moving."
Reports say that Steve and Lou spent 11 years in the heat of Saudi Arabia, where he was stationed, and both he and his deceased wife didn't like being cold, so he thought helping people pay to keep their heat on this winter would be a great way to honor her.
"She hated the cold as much as I did," Steve admitted. "If you can help people stay warm, that seems like a good thing, and I think she would appreciate that."
Georgia Power representative Travis Bell says that Steve's generosity has inspired others to pay it forward.
"You've got to love it," Bell said. "It's the spirit of generosity; it's contagious."
Not the consumer based society that we have become at this time of year especially. It's transient and all will be forgotten in the blink of an eye. And lets not forget it will ultimately end up in the trash someday, long forgotten.