Shaquille O’Neal has become synonymous with generosity due to his philanthropic acts. As the holiday season approaches, Shaq is living up to this reputation, distributing $500 gift cards to shoppers at JC Penny at The Parks Mall in Arlington, Texas. One lucky couple, Wendell and Laura Garrett, were in search of a sweater at the departmental store.
Little did they know that they were about to bump into O’Neal as they entered the “Big and Tall” section. During their interaction with the NBA legend, the couple was blessed with a gift card. “We looked at each other and said, God is so good,” Wendell said .
Like Shaq, Laura and Wendell also believe in giving back to the society. Their entire family reportedly volunteers at Beautiful Feet and uses the money to purchase gifts for 10 children despite having a rough financial year. “That’s going to allow us to have Christmas gifts for 10 children,” Wendell said.
“I’d been praying like, how are we going to fund this because we’ve had kind of a hard year financially,” Laura said. “God definitely used Dr. O’Neal to make this Christmas a little bit more special,” Wendell remarked.
O’Neal giving out these gift cards doesn’t come as a surprise since he’s a shareholder at JC Penny through Authentic Brands Group. Additionally, the business tycoon is constantly making news because of his charitable deeds, buying homes, electronics, and jewelry, among other things for the less fortunate. Shaq’s stepfather.