Man Gives Lottery Winnings to Homeless Family

B O S T O N, Nov. 26 -- Christmas came a month early to a homeless family of four, thanks to a businessman who gave away his $4,000 in lottery winnings.

“There’s always somebody that needs things more than we do,”the wife of the 49-year-old man, who asked to remain anonymous,told the Boston Herald. “He’s got a great job and we have a greathome, so we’re lucky we can do this. You only need so much to liveand the rest you can give away.”

The family was chosen by the Salem-based North Shore MentoringProgram, a group similar to Big Brothers/Big Sisters.

Director Judy Crater said she “nearly fell over” when the mangave her the scratch ticket.

“All he said to me was, ‘You can tell her happyThanksgiving,“‘ she said.

Crater said the family is a single mother with three kids whoare currently staying with friends.

“She cried,” Crater said of the woman, who makes $7.50 an hourworking in a school cafeteria. “She said, ‘This gives me somethingto give thanks for.’ And she said she was going to be saving [themoney] until they got into housing because they have no furnitureand she wants to buy beds for the kids.”