Stranger Gives Bronx Mom $3K After Seeing Fire on News

Nina Chambers watched everything she and her three children owned disappear in a devastating apartment fire on East 160th Street in the Bronx. The 36-year-old mother suddenly found herself living in a hotel, struggling to afford food and prepare her kids for school with an overdrawn bank account.

Hundreds of miles away, Scott Evans saw Chambers' story on CBS local news in late June. He didn't know her, but something about her situation made him feel like he had to act.

"This was something, one of the things that I could do something about," Evans said. So he tried to deposit money directly into her account at TD Bank, but the bank wouldn't allow it.

Instead of giving up, Evans contacted the news station. They connected him with Chambers, and though the two have never met in person, Evans gave her $3,000 to help feed her children and get them ready for school.

"He didn't ask me for anything except, how can I help you?" Chambers said. Eight weeks after the fire, her apartment was still in shambles, but the generosity of a complete stranger had given her something priceless: hope.

Sunny's Take

Evans explained that helping Chambers was something he felt fortunate to be able to do. "I'm blessed that I can do it. We have no mortgage. We have no car payments," he said.

For Chambers, the gift became about more than money. It showed her that even in her darkest moment, someone was willing to step forward simply because they could.

"Scott is an angel," she said. "Scott is one of those people, you don't know he's there until he shows you what he can do." Her words brought Evans to tears.

The good news kept coming. Chambers has since secured a new apartment and graduated from school with a degree in human services.

Now that she's rebuilding her life, Chambers has set a new goal: to pass that kindness on to someone else. "I just want to get on my feet so I can pay it forward," she said.

Sometimes you don't need to know someone to change their life.