In what might be the best story I’ve heard about all week, one 18-year-old pizza restaurant manager went so far above and beyond his duties that he gets my “Human of the Week” award. Okay, it’s not an actual award, but that’s how much I appreciated what this kid did for a stranger.
Dalton Shaffer was getting ready to close down Steve’s Pizza in Battle Creek, Mich. when he got a last-minute phone call.
That phone call came from about 225 miles away in Indianapolis, Ind., where Rich Morgan is fighting his battle with cancer. The call came from his father-in-law, David Dalke.
The Morgan’s used to live in Battle Creek and would frequent Steve’s every time they got paid. But that was 20 years ago, before they made the move to Indiana. The Morgan’s had planned to make the trek to visit Steve’s one more time, but Rich’s cancer became to aggressive, with Rich now in hospice care.
Dalke felt it was time to make a phone call to Steve’s.
“He was asking me if I could send a letter or a text message to his daughter, kinda like giving her our condolences for the situation and everything going on,” Shaffer said, according to Fox 59 - Indianapolis.
That’s when the humanitarian in Shaffer kicked into overdrive. Despite it being late at night, Shaffer offered to hand deliver two fresh pizzas to the Morgans.
“I said 'Dalton... I want to make sure you understand,'" Dalke said recalling the exchange. "'I'm calling you from Indianapolis, Indiana. That's three and half hours away, 225 miles...' He said 'I know that.’”
Shaffer made the 225-mile trip South from Battle Creek to Indianapolis. The kicker is that Steve’s Pizza doesn’t deliver. Shaffer just wanted to show the family that he legitimately cared.
“As he [Shaffer] walked out of the house, he looked around at the kids and said 'God bless all of you,'" Dalke said. "And he meant it.”
The whole round trip took Shaffer seven hours to complete, but he said that “it was worth it.”
“Anybody that's watching this... keep them in mind and pray for them," Shaffer said, according to Fox 17 - West Michigan. "And I hope the best for them and I hope the Lord brings them comfort.”
God bless you, Dalton! And God bless the Morgan family who are dealing with a very difficult battle.
For coverage of this story, watch below: