Candice Payne acted selflessly by paying for more than 100 homeless Chicago residents to sleep comfortably inside a hotel during January's polar vortex. As a result of her efforts, she is being rewarded most remarkably.
As Blavity previously reported, the charitable campaign spearheaded by the 34-year-old aimed to ensure homeless Chicagoans wouldn't suffer through below freezing temperatures. Through the efforts of Payne, her husband and online donors, she was able to rent 60 rooms for 122 deserving individuals for four nights.
To continue providing care for Chicago's impoverished, Payne launched a GoFundMe initiative with a $100,000 goal to purchase, renovate and furnish various properties in The Windy City to give a home to the less fortunate. Now, the real estate developer has a $50,000 head start, thanks to Ellen DeGeneres.
On Wednesday, Payne appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show to speak more about her project. Well, to her surprise, the comedian announced she was giving her a check for $25,000 to jump-start her plans. The good news would only get better from there. During the commercial break, Ellen announced she contacted Walmart and asked the retail giant to double her donation, to which it joyously obliged, per The Chicago Sun-Times.
Thanks to Payne, Chicago's homeless population will be comfortably warm in the foreseeable future.
Watch the full segment below.
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