Kicker - A surprise resale shop find

NICK EICHER, HOST: Let me tell you about a man named Howard Kirby who bought a unique footstool. He’d been shopping at a Habitat for Humanity resale shop in Michigan. When he brought it home, it didn’t feel quite right, seemed a bit too heavy. So Kirby’s daughter-in-law took a closer look.

KIRBY: She opens it up, and she says dad, money!

Yeah, lots of it, too!  $43,000 in cash. Stuffed inside the footstool! 

Kirby told TV station WZZM that the surprise soon gave way to excitement.

KIRBY: Everything ran through my mind. Now I can pay off the house. I can get a roof on my house, and I can retire real good and everything.

Yeah, not so fast. He searched his conscience and figured, you know, whoever donated the stool didn’t know the cash was inside. So he asked a simple question:

KIRBY: What would Jesus do, and Jesus would give it back to the rightful owner!

And that’s exactly what he did. 

It turned out the family donated the furniture when their grandfather passed away. They’d no idea he’d stashed cash inside. 

Kirby tracked them down and returned the money to the tearful family.

AUDIO: That goes to you. [SIC] Thank you sir. You’re welcome.

It’s The World and Everything in It.

(Sally York/The Argus-Press via AP) In this Jan. 16, 2020 photo, Howard Kirby, left, gives $43,170 to Kim Fauth-Newberry at a resale store in Owosso Township, Mich..

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