A crumb from a reader in Redlands, California

As reported in the Illinois Belleville News-Democrat, Stanford Kipping, 82, and his wife Patty, 70, were caught between a rock and a hard place. Should they keep up payments on their 1998 Buick, or buy prescription medicines they need to stay well? They decided to buy the medicine, and before long a repo man named Jim Ford came and towed their Buick away. "When I got home that night," Ford recalls, "I said to myself, 'They are a real nice elderly couple. I gotta do something. I can't just take their car.'"

Using the online service "GoFundMe," he raised more than $3,500 in one night. After paying the fee for services, he paid the bank the $2,501 the Kippings owned on the car. Then he put $1,000 in cash into an envelope and a co-worker bought the Kippings a frozen turkey for Thanksgiving dinner. Ford fixed the old Buick's headlights, topped off the radiator and changed the oil, and then hooked up the car for the return tow to the Kipping's home. Stanford and Patty Kipping didn't know what they would do without their car, and when they got it back paid off, with a turkey and a $1,000 gift, they called it "a miracle come true." It was the best Christmas gift they could have wished for.

When there's hope, anything is possible

Meet Harris Rosen, a self-made hotel magnate in Orlando, who decided about 20 years ago that it was time to give back. Not far from one of his hotels he adopted the Orlando suburb of Tangelo Park. About 800 families, mostly African America, lived there amid drug-trafficking, prostitution and unsafe streets. The high school graduation rate was only 25%. Students saw no point in graduation since nobody could afford college, until Rosen arrived to deliver one simple gift -- hope.

Today, the graduation rate in Tangelo Park is 100%. Why? Because Rosen worked through community organizations to give every high school graduate a full scholarship to any school in the state, including tuition, room, board, books and travel. There are no hoops to jump through or promises to keep. If you graduate from high school and are accepted by any college, junior college or vocational school in Florida, it's a free ride, guaranteed. So far, over 200 students have received Rosen scholarships, and 75% graduated from college. Meanwhile, Tangelo Park property values are going up. People are moving in. Crime is down at least 50%, making it safer than some affluent suburbs. How long does Rosen plan to continue providing hope? He says, "I will be involved in the program until Tangelo Park is a gated community and the average home sells for $1 million. Then I'm gone."

The desire to give and receive love remains

Last year, the Pima Animal Care Center in Tucson, Arizona, accepted over 2,000 kittens which were either orphaned, abandoned or homeless. Many were so young they needed to be bottle-fed to survive. To meet this need, the animal care center partnered with the Catalina Springs Memory Care Center. The kittens are nourished, and dementia and Alzheimer's patients feel a purpose and a joy.

                                                                                                     Pima Animal Care Center
Catalina Springs health director Rebeca Hamilton says "the kittens have enriched the lives in this center in indescribable ways." For some residents, nursing the kittens recalls childhood memories. One patient remembered growing up on a farm with 19 cats. Watching patients interact with baby kittens, Hamilton has observed that "there are skills emotions and needs that do not just leave a person with dementia or Alzheimers." She says the kittens prove that "the desire to give love and receive love remains," even after memory is lost.

A harvest of neighborly love

CONNERSVILLE, Ind. -- Steve Wollyung was about to harvest the final 100 acres of his farm this month when his 4-year-old granddaughter Ayla became trapped in the hay wagon. She died from her injuries. Because of this tragedy, a harvest seemed unlikely until neighbors heard about Steve's need.

                                                                                                                                      CBS4
A family friend called a few farmers who were done harvesting to ask for their help. Word spread, and more than 60 farmers from several counties offered to donate time and equipment.  The fleet of combines, semis and grain carts were in the fields by 10 a.m. Friends and neighbors donated sandwiches, soup and snacks. Despite his grief, Steve said he was "totally shocked" by the generosity of his fellow farmers. "I couldn't believe it when I saw everyone show up to help," he said. Working together, they harvested over 18,000 bushels by 5 p.m. Steve said it would have taken him a week. Said one of the volunteer helpers, "It felt so good to help them. They are a wonderful family. We all know Steve would drop everything to help us."

Students raise funds to help their crossing guard

His name is Fetene Yezengaw. For the past ten years, he's stood at the corner of E. 8th St. and Harvard St. in Houston, Texas, helping boys and girls get to and from Harvard Elementary School. He's known for his happy smiles and love for kids. A few have noticed that he walks with a limp, because of his prosthetic leg. He grew up in Ethiopia, where government forces made him a child soldier at age 15. Two years later, he stepped on a landmine and lost his leg. Then he survived 12 years in refugee camps in Kenya and Uganda before coming to the United States. Maybe that's why he says, "Every time I see a kid, I just want to see the kid smile." Students say Fetene makes them laugh.

                                                                                                                  Screenshot / ABC13
When students at Harvard Elementary learned that his leg needs repair, and he has other health problems, they did two things. They organized a bake sale, and then they created a GoFundMe account for him. So far, they have raised over $8,000 to cover his medical expenses. Knowing the community stands behind him means the world to Fetene. "It makes me cry," he says.

It's a dog-carry-dog world out there

David Mazzarella, 48, is a BNSF railway worker. In November of 2007 he and his wife Edie bought a six-month-old puppy St. Bernard named Blizzard. Four years later, after Blizzard was fully grown, they bought a much smaller puppy named Lulu when she was only five weeks old. As soon as Lulu saw Blizzard, she adopted him as her daddy. She followed him around and slept with him, eventually snoozing on his back. She became so comfortable on his back that she stayed there as they explored the great outdoors together.

As their unusual friendship developed, little Lulu became the boss, and Blizzard doesn't mind. "Blizzard is the most laid back dog," says his owner. "He doesn't have a mean bone in his body. So Lulu wears the pants in the family.She always gets her way with Blizzard." David created an instagram account for the pair five weeks ago. So far, they have over 2,000 followers on social media.

To all who enjoy crumbs of comfort...