RIVERHEAD, NY — The holiday season was off to a less-than-sparkling start for Mastic mother Amanda Trangucci, whose son Joseph is just 3 years old.
The year has been marked with challenges. Both the federal government shutdown and an injury left her out of work for months — and then, her car broke down. The strapped working mom was frantic, wondering how she’d pay the $342 layaway bill at the Riverhead Walmart to make Christmas happen for her son.
That was until this weekend, when a holiday miracle made her believe in the infinite kindness of strangers.
On Sunday morning, she said, Trangucci received an email from Walmart stating that someone had paid off the full amount of her layaway bill. When she called to confirm, she learned that it was true — the gifts were hers to take home, thanks to a kind, anonymous person with a heart of gold.
Trangucci contacted Patch because she hopes that the person who paid the bill — the entire layaway list was filled with toys for her toddler — would see the story.
“I want them to know how grateful and thankful I am that they did this for me,” she said, breaking into tears.
After the federal shutdown and an injury that kept her sidelined for two months, Christmas became something to dread, not knowing how she’d pay for her child’s toys. “It’s a terrible feeling,” she said.
Then at 3 a.m. Sunday, the first email came saying her debt had been paid, with a breakdown of each toy — and a zero balance.
Skeptical, she called Walmart but was unable to confirm at first that the news was real. A short time later, though, a Walmart representative called back and told her that a group of people had come in and paid for a number of layaways.
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The news was especially welcome, Trangucci said, because on Thanksgiving, she’d gone to the ATM at a 7-Eleven near her house and taken out her last $40 until payday Monday. “I lost that $40 on Thanksgiving. I must have dropped it in the parking lot. I couldn’t find it and, at first, I was hysterical. Then I thought, ‘Maybe the person who found it needed it more than I did,'” she said.
Her friends agreed that Trangucci’s altruistic outlook sparked the karma that next came her way.
On Monday, Trangucci went to Walmart to pick up her layaway gifts and learned that it was a father and his little boy who’d paid the bill. “The father and son wanted to pay for an order with toys,” Trangucci said. Also, she said, Walmart staffers told her that someone came in to the store on Black Friday and paid for 25 layaway orders.
Walmart manager Grace — who said she was not allowed to give her last name — was unable to give details but did confirm that layaway angels had made a stop at the Riverhead store.
“It’s beautiful,” Grace said.
The gift of Christmas generosity means everything, Trangucci said. “My son is an amazing, selfless child. He loves everyone and, even at 3, he would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it.”
If she could meet her anonymous angel, Trangucci said, she would say, “‘Thank you.’ This person brought back my faith in humanity. There are good people in this world.”
Years ago, Trangucci herself did a similar good deed, adopting families for Christmas. “One lady, all she wanted was a Christmas tree for her children. So I sent her one with all the works. Ornaments, tree skirt, presents. I still talk to her. She still sends me a Christmas card,” Trangucci said. “I bought everything on their Amazon wish list and it went to them, so they were able to have a great Christmas. Now I know how they felt. I understand the weight lifting off my shoulders.”