This story touched my heart. Many are moved to give during this season. However, we need to remember that many, especially now, approaching 2011; are in need. Never in my lifetime have I known of such turmoil, everywhere and everything seems affected. Maybe at some time since 1957, my birth year, there have been struggles but not like we see today. My great or great-great grandfather was like the subject of this book. He was a landowner, farmer, store owner in the up-state of SC during the 20-30's. Things got so bad during the depression that he extended credit for food and goods to folks in the community and was mostly never repaid. He gave all the wealth he had, holding only the farm land at the time of his death. What a heartfelt legacy to our family.

For probably the 30th time last night I watched "It's a Wonderful Life". Images of the last Great Depression are once again fresh in my mind, bringing back the stories of grandparents and parents.

What a wonderful gift Mr Gup gave his family and all of ours by researching the wonderful Gift his grandfather gave so many. And the gift is all the more wonderful because his mother fished out that suitcase just in time for probably the last recipient, Helen Palm, to find out the name of her Santa Claus.

While Mr Gup terms this period "our own deepening recession", I feel he is being kind. We are living through the 4th Great Depression in 114 years ('93, '07, '29 and now '08). Each brought on us by the excesses of the Big Banks and Brokerages. The main difference this time is that FDR got us the Gift of Unemployment Benefit Insurance and Social Security and LBJ got our elders Medicare, and Bush43 got them "Part B". And Obama got the extension of Unemployment Benefits for many.

Otherwise, the "bread lines" and "soup kitchens" would be back in force instead of still swelling. But, they could surge yet, as thousands each week become "99 Weekers".

I would think that if I were in that situation and was lucky to receive $5 - which was alot back then - I would have used it more wisely. I would have thought about the essentials first, and bought food for my family. I was sad to hear that material things were bought with the money B. Virdot gave them. Hopefully, some spent it more wisely.

I grew up in the outskirts of Chicago. My father and mother both worked. My mother saved and rolled rubber bands and the foil from gum wrappers and other things. I remember men and even a family once knocking on the back door and Mom giving them food and some hand me down clothes. She would say by the grace of God we could be those people. The story brought tears to my eyes. Thank you so much for this story it helped me remember all the good things from the past.

One of the best articles that I have read in long time. I can remember my mother telling me about the Great Depression years. It make my heart feel good to read that there were individuals like Mr. Monnot "B. Virdot" in those trying times. I am sure that Mr. Ted Gup has a warm feeling in his heart and soul after finding out what his Grandfather had accomplished. I will not be on this planet to find out if there are individuals like him in today's trying times.

My mother, was second & last child born in 1929 to her family. It was not a MOST happy occasion considering her last- generation- ancestors already immigrated to KY and later Canton, Ohio from Scotland to avoid poverty there. Well, I am sending this article to my children to read and will access the book, as well. Thanks for a wake up call to always help others who indeed are less fortunate than we are. Nothing beats the warm feeling of food in a child's hungry tummy unless it is some adequate clothing.

Touching, very touching. Each generation needs to be aware of the challenges faced by their predecessors and relatives. In this age of selfish consumerism (trust me, I am among the most selfish) and recession, all people must reach out to one another to lend help and support. How many of us can imagine not having food in the house, scratching out a meal from nothing? We worry about flat screen TVs, laptops, vacations, etc. Enough said. Moral to this story: help those in need now, right now--- someone may read of your generosity 75 years later and do the same to provide joy, restore dignity and demonstrate care.
Thanks for this story, it made my 2010 Christmas!

I remember reading this when I was a boy in the 50s.

A boy came home from school, and asked his grandmother for a cookie. She told him to wit 'til dinner. He protested that he was hungry! She offered him a piece of bread.

"Naw, I don't want a piece of bread!" he protested loudly.

She looked at him sadly, and said, "If you don't want a piece of bread, you are not hungry."

I don't know about him, but that sure made an impression on me, Thank God.

What an outstanding article on giving at this time of year. The GIFT brought back memories of the hard times in our family in the mid 50's when my Dad was out of work with a family of 7 to feed.
It's so touching that this man felt a need to give and help others during the Great Depression. This kindness brought a lump to my throat and tears to my eyes while reading what he did to help others during their time of need. What an outstanding AMERICAN. We need more like him today more than ever.

I grew up in Canton and was very touched by this article. It is also a bit ironic as on the same table where I sit and read this is a box of gifts and clothes bound for Canton for a family that is struggling. A friend and also former Buckeye sent out a request to help this family. Through her efforts, several people are contributing to make the holiday season brighter for those in need. Mr. Monnot was correct in saying "there is more real happiness in giving and making someone else happy than recieving".

I well remember the depression years, I am 87 now. My grandmother always had a crust of bread and some left over coffee for the men who would come to the door hungry. I can still see them sitting on a bench in yard thanking her for their meager meals. I can remember the long lines in the "soup kitchens" We grew our own vegetables and canned many of them.
It was interesting to see how my grandmother used old socks and worn out clothing-they were never thrown out but were cut into strips and made into braided rugs. A saying frequently heard up in my New England country was "Eat it up, wear it out,use it up or do without." Old clothing was also cut into squares and made into "crazy quilts"

Ted what a wonderful thing for him to do. I was not born at that time. My parents raised 5 girls with the sweat of there brow too. My dad was a welder by trade and when the company would have a shut down he would find jobs as a freezer salesman, work in a meat locker, sell shoes, etc. My mother worked as a cook at a school. We all had jobs since the age of 12. Mowing grass, detassiling corn, work in a drug store, (3 of us worked in the drug store) and so on. My father-in-law saved everything during the depression and I still have balls of twine and balls of foil I can't part with in the attic.

Brought me to tears.....God bless 'im!

I was a child of the depression, being born October 1929. My earliest memories was to save everything, even a piece of string. If I didn't eat my "meal", it was saved for later. Santa Clause didn't like me as he passed by our house! But I was lucky that an apple and orange appeared in my oatmeal box left outside by the front door. My family left Kentucky and went to California in 1937. It took us 8 days to travel, nights beside the road sleeping under the stars and my mom cooked on a 2-burner stove of some kind for our meals of biscuits or whatever. We finally got to Calif. and settled in a small community of people from Okla., Arkansas, Tenn., Texas and Colorado. I remember Calif. referred to as the land of milk and honey. Actually, it was the oilfields and orchards that beckoned. Life was certainly much better than before. I remember much more of course, but enough for here.

What a wonderful story, I enjoyed reading it. I forwarded it to my mother and grandmother. The following is my grandmother's response to the story:

Well, Laurie, your story made me cry. I read the whole thing with tears rolling down my face. But let me tell you something just as heart-rending. You knew someone personally who could have used that $5 way back then. Memere. Her husband died in 1932, right in the middle of the Depression. It was touch and go for many years . She did all kinds of labor to make enough money to feed my brother and me (we were 8 and 9). She washed rich people's clothes, scrubbed out bakery display cases for a couple dollars and some broken pastries. She took in sewing, rented rooms to strangers, made over hand-me-downs for me, and yes, patched our shoes with cardboard inserts. I wore WPA clothes and got used toys from a Salvation Army Santa Claus fund for Christmas. But you know what? I got through it . And I got through it because of her. She was gutsy and fearless in going after whatever she needed to keep us alive and sheltered.

They call my generation The Greatest Generation because of the hard times and WWII, etc. But I 'll tell you something. The Greatest Generation is not my generation. It was my mother, and all those men and women who struggled through those nightmarish years. As I remember, I didn't lose much sleep during those years. But she did.

Love, Gran

Mark asked why didn't mr Verdot lose everything like everyone else in the depression?
Three things...good fortune, no debt and frugality.
My father was 27 in 1933 (the year I was born). His 5th grade education left him with few options, but he realised that anyone with even a low paying job could do well if they had no debt, a small family and lived frugaly. He also belived that self employment was the only way to get ahead, so he made himself jobs. Repairing awnings, hauling coal on an old flat bed truck. (shoveled it on and off)and working on a slaugter house, in construction doing piece work and as a plumbers helper. Eventualy as a skilled construction supervisor and finaly self employed.
Mr Verlot was probably out of debt, had a business that was able to generate at least some income and lived frugaly.

that same phiosophy works in the present economy. Pity our leaders haven't followed it.

Great Depression story! My family's goes like this:
During the Depression, my grandfather was a school administrator / principal. His family were wealthy dairy farmers from Germany. When funds ran out to pay the school teachers, he paid them out of his own pocket. After about a year, his funds were dwindling. He started to hear about how the economy was recovering, but the small towns in western Pennsylvania had not seen any of this recovery. My grandfather traveled to Washington, DC to speak with his congressman and ask when his school district could expect to receive some federal assistance. The folks in DC were surprised to learn that these small Pennsylvania towns had been overlooked. Because of his tenacity, my grandfather was offered a job as a special auditor for the US Government to travel around the US to see how many other small towns were in the same plight and report back to the government so they could take corrective action. He was a bit of a hero for his day.

Marvelous reading. I suggest that your readers try to find a relative or friend who has his/her own story of poverty in that sad time. My own parents were fortunate in that both of their fathers had jobs. And there was plenty of food on Uncle's farm. My mother tried to get a job while in college. A school administrator thought she was too well off, judging by her nice suit. She told him she had turned the entire suit inside out and remade it on the "good" side.

I am nearly 80, so lived through those depression years. My parents were teachers who had to return half their salaries for two years, never heard a complaint, they were glad to do it. My grandmother used to put out food, entire meals, in her backyard every night for hobos who crossed the country looking for odd jobs - by foot or mostly by rail. In the mornings every scrap of it was gone. There must have been a network -- an early form of Facebook? -- letting each other know it was there.

Reading this holiday story makes me even more thankful for my Jewish friends. It also makes me want to pass on this hopeful message to those younger people in the U.S. who are experiencing financial devastation as jobs are drying up and non exsistant.

There will be light at the end of the tunnel. We are Americans and will pull together. I can see it in the new younger faces in the Congress and I am betting that they can and will see us through this recession/depression.

This story is a message to us all.

Sincerely, Judith Savage

I teach US History at the high school level. Love to come across stories like this which help my students relate history to everyday life. Thank you for sharing at such an appropriate time. We are finishing WWI and will role into the Great Depression before Christmas. Bless this man for touching so many lives. What a great story of human kindness.

hi-i loved your piece on the gift-i can relate-my mom was brought up in an orphanage,because her mom and dad could not afford to keep their two youngest children, my mom and her brother, my uncle.--i knew nothing of my moms family. on her birth certificate, it reads 9 brothers and sisters. my mom never knew that i knew about her background-i would of loved to know some of them. her name was mary avolio, or avelio, born in 1916, april 16th. in brooklyn ny .many times i look in obituraries and phone books and look up her name. i had breast cancer and i think its heritary. i wonder if any of my moms family had the same cancer? i want to thank you for this story-i read it over and over again- i cries and cries-so thanks again for this gift-the story of 'THE GIFT'

I am 80 and lived during those days. It is a wonderful story. Recent generations need to read the story and think on it, so that we all can count our blessings.

Found this on Facebook..What a wonderful story about a man who essentially embodies the true meaning of Christmas. I know there are many generous souls out there who contribute, but the need is for so many more, and so much more. I have wished, and do wish, that I were in a position to do something like this, so I do what I can. I hope this story has inspired others to give to the less fortunate.

And so with each telling, the gift is given anew and the blessings continue...

What a heartwarming and inspiring story, especailly in these times. Thank you.

I read this story this morning while I was having my coffee. It really made me stop and think how fortunate I am. It also warmed my heart to know of one kind man's generosity. I want to keep Mr. B. Virdot in my heart this Christmas, remember to be kind, and give to those in need. Thank you so much for a wonderful story.

Sometimes I sit and wonder about myself. I am a single mother in a poor town with little to my name, but I read stories like this and begin to feel blessed. When I start to feel sorry for myself, I feel ashamed. I am very fortunate. My daughter and I are in good health, we have a roof over our heads and good food to eat. There are many people out there who do not even have the simplicities of life available to us at the moment. Thank you for helping me realized that poverty is in some sense defined by your attitude. To everyone out there...count your blessings. You never realize just how good you have it till it's no longer in your grasp.

Thanks for sharing this story. My parents told many stories about the Great Depression. Even those on farms did not always do so well. My parents were from Utah. The Federal government had seized all the assets of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints so that they were not able to administer relief to the suffering as they do today. People did the best they could. Most were able to raise their own food. My grandfather hunted every fall to put a deer or two in the freezer for his 6 children, and everybody had to work. My mother was the oldest able bodied girl, and worked as a dish washer and waitress to help support her family. Times were hard, but they produced the generation that saved freedom and democracy for the world, the Greatest Generation. I can only hope that this recession will cause people to repent and change their hearts and turn to God and remember where our blessings come from. And God bless B. Virdot!

I am puzzled. How did Sam Stone (B. Virdot) have the money to give to the needy? Why did he not lose everything in the depression?

The depression was hardest on those that lived in the city. Many families who were able moved to the farm where they could raise food but even in that environment things were tough. I know because that was my lot as a teen ager in 1933

What a great story. I wish everyone could realize that what some view as a handout can really be a helping hand that impacts a family for generations.

What a lovely story, Ted. In these times (and in 1933), the kind efforts of your grandfather are something to admire and aspire.

I think we All should have to live though those times and we would be so much more thankful for what we have. Instead we are spoiled and have lost sight of the really important things in life, which is things are not important life is what is important. So lets all try to be like "Mr B Virdot this Christmas and help those that need it, and share what we have. signed "Santa"