A pizza delivery driver in Boise named Dan Simpson bought a customer’s Diet Coke out of his own pocket. That small choice turned into $170,000 in retirement donations from strangers, and he retired off it. It sounds fake. It is not.
That story kicks off Reader’s Digest’s roundup of 2026’s nicest moments, and the rest of the list holds up. A Wendy’s employee’s porch lunch break became a $17,000 fundraiser for her transportation and education. A Republic Airways flight attendant caught a slipping baby and held him so his exhausted mother could sleep. Two Boston Marathon runners gave up their own personal bests to carry a fallen competitor across the finish line, and Japanese soccer fans went viral for cleaning up trash in the World Cup stands. Even late-night hosts aired reruns during Stephen Colbert’s final show rather than compete with his farewell.
The through-line here is that none of these people were performing. They were just being decent in small, ordinary ways, and the rewards came back bigger than anyone expected. In a year full of heavy headlines, that’s a pretty solid reminder that generosity is still very much alive.
Which of these stories hit you hardest? Tell us in the comments.
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Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.