The selfless acts of a Chick-fil-A employee from Wisconsin garnered national attention when she gave away a car prize to her co-worker.
A 17-year old native of Appleton, Wisconsin who works at the local Chick-Fil-A was the winner of the company Christmas raffle during their holiday party. Hailey Bridges was awarded a 2008 Hyundai Elantra after her name was drawn in the raffle, but she decided to give it away to her friend and co-worker instead. The recipient of the car was Hokule'a Taniguchi, an employee who did not own a car and was traveling to and from work on a bike.
According to WKRV, Taniguchi hails from Hawaii and is not used to the harsh winters in the Wisconsin area. The young Chick-Fil-A employee wasted no time in deciding to give her the company Christmas raffle prize, as Bridges explained, "[Taniguchi]'s one of the people here that has made me be myself more, and I just feel so happy being around her and it was just an immediate decision to give her a car because she probably needs it more than anyone I know."
"Shocked" Taniguchi recalled the moment when the young Chick-Fil-A employee gave her the
company Christmas raffle prize, saying that she "screamed" in delight. She said, "My heart felt so full and I was so excited. I was so happy I just started crying my eyes out. Being able to have a car and that freedom and giving someone else a ride, helping someone else out that just warms my soul and I'm just so excited and happy."
Both Chick-Fil-A employees earned recognition from the food chain's Appleton Director of Hospitality and Quality Sami Hansen. According to Christian Headlines, Hansen mused about how Bridges was "super fun to be around" and applauded her ability "to plug in with everyone." She also admired the way Taniguchi "serves everyone with excellence" and her ability to build "strong friendships and memories with everyone."
This is not the first time the unselfish deeds of a Chick-Fil-A employee caught national attention. In fact, a Columbus Chick-Fil-A employee by the name of Zack "Cowboy" Kokenzie made headlines in October 2020 after he saved a choking child.
ABC10 reported that cries were heard from an SUV that was at the drive-thru window. Upon hearing the commotion, Kokenzie rushed over to find a man and another customer trying to detach their child from the car seat as the seat belt got entangled around the child's windpipe. Another Chick-Fil-A employee, Zachary Bullock immediately arrived with scissors that Kokenzie used to cut the child free.
The store owner for which the Chick Fil-A employees worked praised them for their "quick thinking and quick responses." He said that his team was "in the right place, with the right training and the right attitude to potentially save the life of one of our customers."
Chick-Fil-A is the third largest food chain in the United States by sales. There are about 5,000 Chick-Fil-A employees across the nation to date.
