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Iowa couple pays electric bills for entire town
ANTHON, Iowa (AP) — Home and business owners in this northwest Iowa town of 650 people were a little shocked at the Christmas gift they got from retired farmer Richard Hamann and his wife, Donna.

The Hamanns doled out $25,000 to pay the town's electricity bills — all due on Dec. 25.

Hamann, 75, sees the gift as returning a good deed.

"The Lord has been very good to us and so have the people of this community, so I always thought we ought to be doing something in return if we could," he said Monday.

Residents said they were surprised and grateful.

"I just thought it was great," said Beulah Sands, 64, a clerk at a local convenience store. "I haven't talked to anyone who didn't appreciate it. It was a wonderful thing for him to do."

Sands said the Hamanns' gift saved her more than $50.

A stack of thank you cards and letters sits in a bundle on Richard Hamann's desk in an office at his home.

One letter came from Joyce Sevening, who wrote that her sister, Fay Miller, is an Anthon resident who has been in poor health in recent months. She said news of the gift brought a tear to her eye.

"It makes me proud that such people as you exist in small towns in Iowa," wrote Sevening, who provided no return address. "It makes me feel good that someone would go out of their way to help another in any way possible."

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Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
 
Wow.

That is something that makes you feel warm inside.

God bless them.
 

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Posted by Dan_raven (Member # 3383) on :
 
They had this on NPR last night.

The couple originally wanted to donate a wind turbine to the town to generate some electricty for everyone for the next 30 years.

The existing electrical company pulled out all the legal contracts to show that it would cost the city more, in contractual payments, to do this than any savings they would get.

So instead of cutting everyone's electrical bill by a third for the next 30 to 40 years, they were forced to pay just one months bill.
 

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Posted by Trisha the Severe Hottie (Member # 6000) on :
 
A lady picked up my purchases last friday when my card was declined. I was getting more than she was.
 

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Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
 
Trisha, we've all been there.

About a decade or so ago, I was going through a severe financial crisis, and some people from church had me come over to their place and they filled my car with food from their food storage. Like, seriously filled my car. Okay, it was small - a Chevy Sprint - but still. A lot of boxes. All they asked for in return was that I do the same for someone else when I can. I did, several years later.

It's nice to be on both ends. Wait, that didn't come out right. It was nice that someone was willing to help me when I needed it. It was also nice to be able to help someone else when they needed it. Being in the actual position of needing help sucked, though. We're all good? We all understand me now?

I think I'll crawl back into bed.
 

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Posted by Tater (Member # 7035) on :
 
Mmmm. I like that.
 

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