Delaware

Woman Gives House, $100K to Delaware Food Bank Before Dying

Just in time for the holiday season, a Delaware food bank received an unexpected gift from a woman who recently passed away.

Patricia Beebe, president and CEO of the Food Bank of Delaware, received a letter stating a former Newark, Delaware nurse in her 50's who recently died of cancer left her home as well as $100,000 for the food bank.

“This is a Thanksgiving miracle,” Beebe said. “This is a really big deal, not only because it represents such a generous gift but also the way it was done.”

The woman didn’t have a spouse or children, but workers believe she had once been a food bank client.

After giving it a few upgrades, volunteers helped stage the home for the open house. Michael Haritos, a local realtor who had volunteered with the food bank, helped sell the house. Haritos told NBC10 he did the work for free.

“How could we take a check for $6,000 commission and not give it back?” Haritos asked. “It wasn’t even anything that was discussed. This was just what we were going to do.”

The home, located at 19 Sentry Lane in Newark’s Lexington Square neighborhood, was listed for $199,000, according to the Newark Post. Food Bank officials told the Post they received an offer on the house and a settlement is expected within a month. The Newark Post reports the money received from the sale of the house will go to the Food Bank’s general fund.

NBC10 will not identify the woman to honor the request of her niece, who told us her aunt would not have wanted her name out there. A neighbor said the woman wasn’t flashy and described her as a good person who did a good thing that will help others.

While they’re grateful for the incredible gift, workers at the Food Bank still wish they could’ve met the woman before she died.

“We have this woman who has given us the largest gift we’ve ever received,” Beebe said. “We can’t thank her because she’s already passed away.”
 

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