KFC gifts car to single mom who walked to work for over a year: ‘I feel so blessed’
After over a year of walking to and from her job at KFC — over three miles each way — a single mom in Salem, Ore., has finally been rewarded with a gift: a new car, given to her by her friend and employer.
“I went to work this morning and got surprised with a brand new car apparently my boss Miranda entered me in a drawing a few months ago and I won this brand new car,” Crystal Lachance, mom to an 8-year-old son, wrote in a Sept. 24 Facebook post. “A big thank you to KFC, Dave, and my favorite boss ever Miranda!!!!”
It seems that Lachance’s manager and friend, Miranda Marston, nominated her for a wish-granting initiative, Kentucky Fried Wishes, which assists KFC employees in getting “an education, in crisis situations and with personal finance,” a KFC Foundation representative tells Yahoo Lifestyle. And on Tuesday, the KFC decided to surprise Lachance with her much-needed wheels.
“I thought this would be a great way to help her and bring her spirits back up,” Marston told local news station WAVE.
Although Lachance likes to do everything herself and doesn’t typically ask for help, she says that this particular gift has made her feel “blessed.”
“This made my day I have been struggling a lot this year but haven't gave up and have been working very hard,” she wrote on Facebook. “I feel so blessed today.”
Lachance has been walking an hour to work and an hour back every day in the year that she’s been employed at a local KFC in Salem, Ore., WTSP 10 News reports.
Making the trek to and from work for the past year, Lachance told WTPS, “wasn’t fun. It’s actually pretty scary at night.” The hard-working mom, who lives with her son in a recovery home, had been trying to save up enough money to purchase a car. In the meantime, getting around town made raising her son alone even more difficult.
“[My son has] been going through some stuff because I’m a single mom,” Lachance said. “I’ve had to take him to daycare, pick him up, do school work, dinner, shopping.”
To add to her troubles, the nearly $2,000 Lachance was saving had been unexpectedly stolen. And Marston, Lachance’s confidant during her time of need, finally decided to do something about it.
“I just really appreciate Crystal so much and seeing her struggle with things really got to me,” said Martson told local news station. “I don’t ever want to see anyone struggle or go through a hard time.”
After writing a letter to the foundation about Lachance’s financial woes, the KFC Foundation decided to reward the mom for her perseverance and hard work.
“Crystal is such an inspiration to KFC and the Chick, Inc. franchise organization. We’re so excited to be able to facilitate this wish for Crystal, a dedicated and deserving KFC employee,” Emma Horn, the managing director of KFC Foundation, tells Yahoo Lifestyle.
Lachance now plans to start saving up money for a place to call home.
“Now that I have a car, here’s just so much more I can do,” she said. “It’s going to be so much easier going places.”
Lachance did not immediately respond to Yahoo Lifestyle’s request for comment.
Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:
• Professor holds baby during 3-hour class after student couldn’t find a sitter
• Single mother, 23, graduates with 2 degrees after giving birth to twins: 'It is possible'
Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.
