Melbourne couple anonymously pays off Christmas gifts for families at local toy store

An anonymous couple has paid off toys that families had on lay-by, bringing much-needed relief just weeks before Christmas.

An anonymous Melbourne couple has paid off the lay-by accounts of dozens of families at a local toy store.

Shoppers at Toyworld Pakenham in Melbourne’s east were overwhelmed on Wednesday when they were told their Christmas purchases had already been paid for.

Almost 100 lay-by accounts have been settled by a couple who have chosen to remain anonymous.

Local grandmother Tracie Miller was grateful to the donors for providing so much joy to their community.

An anonymous Melbourne couple has paid off the lay-by accounts of dozens of families at a local toy store. Picture: 7NEWS

“We all need a little bit of cheer, and everybody needs a little bit of help,” she told 7News.

Toyworld Pakenham employee Sandra Evans said that she didn’t know much about the donors.

“All I know is that it’s a husband and wife with four young children,” she told the outlet.

The family has been paying off the lay-by accounts in monthly instalments since June.

“It’s been going for a while, so to hide that from everybody that comes in and says ‘can I put this on lay-by’, I’m thinking ‘you’re going to get this paid off soon’.”

Local parent Sara Jones was overwhelmed by the generosity of the couple who donated thousands of dollars to fellow parents.

“My children are actually going to have a great Christmas, thank you to these people,” she said.

Toyworld Pakenham worker Sandra Evans said that the donors had been paying off accounts gradually since June. Picture: 7News

The random act of kindness has brought relief to dozens of parents in a cost-of-living crisis just weeks out from Christmas, which can be an expensive time of year for many families.
This generosity comes just a week after a similar act on the Gold Coast, where $2000 worth of toys were paid off by an anonymous man.

Mr Toys Toyworld Helensvale manager Ebony Hughes said the stranger paid off lay-bys for about 40 families.

“It was quite overwhelming and many customers were in tears when they came in to collect their orders,” she said.