Strangers Gift Texas Man Car After Seeing Him Walk 3 Miles To Work Daily

In a heartwarming tale of altruism, a group of strangers in Texas pooled in money to buy a car for a 20-year-old man after they found out that he walked three miles every day to get to his workplace.

CBS News on Wednesday reported that Rockwall resident Andy Mitchell saw Justin Korva walking to work in his Taco Casa uniform when the temperature was well over 90 degrees. He felt compelled to pull over and offer a ride to Korva. When they got talking, Korva told Mitchell how he had to walk 3 miles to work and the same distance back home every day because he did not own a car. He also said that he was determined to save up so he would be able to afford a car in the future.

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Mitchell later posted on Facebook, which gained a lot of popularity in the local community, prompting some to extend help. According to CBS, Samee Dowlatshahi, who owned a local pizza restaurant, Samee's Pizza Getti Italian Bistro & Lounge, offered to put a donation box inside his pizza joint to aid Korva in his quest to buy a car. Within 48 hours, both Mitchell and Dowlatshahi managed to raise more than $5,500.

More help started pouring in after Danny Rawls, general sales manager at Toyota in the city, got to know of Korva’s story. He narrated the story to his general manager who agreed to help him by reducing the price on a 2004 Toyota Camry so they could buy it with the money raised through donations. CBS reported that Rawls got in touch with Dowlatshahi and said: "Give me a call. I have a nice car that would work for the kid”. They not only managed to buy the car with the money raised, but had extra money to pay for his insurance for a year, plus two years' worth of oil changes and a $500 gas card.

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Mitchell later put up another post thanking everyone for their contributions for Korva’s car fund.

Last Friday, they drove the white 2004 Camry to Taco Casa and presented Korva the car. Later that day, Rawls helped Korva complete the paperwork on the car and put the title in his name. Mitchell’s wife filmed Korva’s reaction when they explained that he would no longer have to trudge three miles each way to get to work.

Rawls told CBS that if felt "surreal" as he watched Korva walk away with the keys. "He's a very humble young man and accepted it with stride," he said. "There couldn't have been more of a deserving individual, for sure."