Hody Childress. a farmer from Geraldine, Alabama, lived the last 10 years of his life with a little secret that was doing a lot of good.
In the small town where he lived his entire life, Childress wanted to help his community. The Air Force war veteran spent his career as a farmer and working at Lockheed Martin Space facility, which was close to his home.
Childress knew that there were families in his hometown who were struggling financially. So one day he asked his local pharmacist, Brooke Walker, a question that would lead to supporting a lot of people:
"He pulled me to the side and said, 'Do you ever have anybody that can't pay for their medication?' and I said, 'Well, yeah, unfortunately, that happens a good bit." Walker shared with the BBC.
So Childress donated $100 to the local pharmacy for anyone who couldn't afford to pay for a prescription, saying: "Next time that happens, will you use this? Don't tell where it came from, and don't tell me who needed it, just say it's a blessing from the Lord."
This act of generosity continued for nearly 10 years, up until his death in January 2023. And his story only came to light at his funeral, when his daughter, Tania Nix, wanted to show what kind of man her father was.
A secret shared
In fact, the 80-year-old only revealed his generosity to his daughter when he was unable to get to the pharmacy himself. "He said, 'I've been doing something for a while and I would like to continue doing this,'" according to Nix. "He said, 'I want you to take a $100 bill up to the drugstore, at the first of the month, as long as I'm alive."
Nix continued to drop off the money to the pharmacy and didn't tell anybody about what her dad was doing. as she explained to K Love, as her father had often cited Matthew 6:3-4, saying: "The Bible says don’t let your right hand know what your left hand is doing.”
With her brother Doug, Nix shared that the siblings "had a really hard time whether to allow this story out (to the public) or not, but I feel like a small deed can turn into a big deed – or it can turn into something that gives people hope, that it helps people that otherwise would have no help. So, I felt like that if it encouraged anyone to be a better person and want to help the world – and want to help other people – it is worth it!"
As it turns out, her decision was worth it. According to the BBC, since the story was first published by the Washington Post, the pharmacy has received donations from all over the country.
And people have shared that Childress' generosity proved vital in providing medical treatment. One member of staff from the local high school told Nix how her father's donation "could have possibly saved her son's life," considering he needed an EpiPen that cost $600 -- an amount of money the family couldn't afford.
While Childress' donations helped the community, it also had a profound effect on his daughter. "It has changed me," she said. "It has made me want to be more giving and more compassionate and to encourage people that there’s people out there that do love you and care about you."
Her father's deep faith was instrumental in encouraging her to live a good life: "The Lord was very real in his life. He was daily reading his Bible and praying. And he really tried to live a life that the Lord would be pleased with. He was very kind and a very positive person."
