PHOENIX (AZ Family) — As Thanksgiving approaches, many people are tightening their budgets to help buy food for the holiday meal. That’s why Arizona Family’s Gibby Parra and the Surprise Squad team headed to Fry’s Food Store near 32nd Street and Thomas Road to surprise unsuspecting customers.

Gibby first approached a woman who was reaching to grab an item from a high shelf. He offered to buy it for her. He then offered to give her a $200 gift card courtesy of Valley Toyota Dealers.

“This will help a lot, a lot,” he told Gibby. The woman said both she and her daughter donated to a church that helps distribute free meals to those in need.

“You know what they always say,” Gibby told him. “When you give something to someone, it always blesses you doubly, and I hope that helps you this year.

Gibby then approached a woman named Paula who was pushing her cart through the frozen food aisle. He had a lot of coupons in his hand.

“I want to help with coupons. How about I give you $200 from Arizona’s Family Surprise Team, courtesy of our Valley Toyota Dealers here?”

He was so surprised by this gesture that he stammered his thanks. He told Gibby he was getting ready to go on vacation and the money would definitely help.

Gibby later found a woman in the spice aisle with a full shopping cart. She told him she was shopping for her family and it usually cost her around $120 to buy what she needed. Gibby gave her a gift card and told her it would not only cover her shopping expenses but also keep an extra $80 in her pocket.

With one gift card left, Gibby found a man making the shopping rounds. She told Gibby that she was single and went shopping once a month for her needs. A typical trip to the store costs him around $150 to $200. She admitted that she wants to buy more meat when shopping, but that’s not always in her budget.

“I want to surprise you with 200 dollars. How about we go have a big steak?”

Thank you very much,” the customer grinned. “I appreciate you. It will be of great help to me. The holidays are approaching. This is great.”

See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report.

Do you have a photo or video of breaking news? To send us here with a brief explanation.

Copyright 2024 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved.