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Shane and MaryJo Dunn of Glastonbury, CT were celebrating their late son’s birthday on Saturday, February 20 when they decided to do a random act of kindness.
In August of 2015, Luke Dunn, died from a rare liver cancer at only 17 months, leaving his parents with short but irreplaceable memories.
“He was nothing but pure joy and love and we wanted to pass that feeling on,” MaryJo Dunn told ABC News.
As she and her husband sat at the First & Last Tavern in Glastonbury, they noticed a family of three, one of which was a little boy. They were celebrating their son’s birthday, who would have had the same birthday as Luke.
The Dunns’ left a touching letter reading,
Our son Luke would have turned 2 years old today. We lost him at 17 months to cancer. He was pure love and joy and we want to pass that on today. Hope you feel a little bit of love with your lunch. Please pay it forward!
The family was so moved by this generous gesture that they did exactly as the letter said, and paid it forward, also informing the restaurant to continue the chain.
Once the news reached First & Last Tavern owner, Rich Nemarich and his brothers, they too decided to pay it forward.
“We were so touched by what happened we decided we didn’t want this selfless act to end there,” the brothers wrote on the First & Last Tavern website. “That’s why we started our Pay It Forward Program. At our restaurants we are fortunate enough to be a community gathering place. We feel that we see the best people walk through our doors, and our Pay It Forward Program is a great way for us to give back.”
The First & Last Tavern now has an online form where any and everyone can nominate a family for a free meal while also sharing their story on why the family should be nominated. Every week, a gift card will be given to a family worthy at each of the tavern locations in Avon, Plainville and Glastonbury.
