When best friends Steven Grant and Richard Cook went into business together, they decided that instead of making money, they would give it away to strangers –- no strings attached.
The Boston buddies first started hiding a $20 bill every day around town last year (everywhere from under a mailbox to inside a library book) as a way to brighten up a stranger's day. The two would then post the location of the cash on Facebook, Twitter and their website -- Plenty of Twenties -- and wait for the giddy winner to claim it.
But soon, this random act of kindness turned into a full-blown business venture. Local companies began stepping forward to sponsor that day’s giveaway in exchange for advertising on their site, according to NECN.com.
“We started it as a social experiment with the question of if we had $20 every day, how will people respond? How will they react?” Cook told NECN. “And it’s been pretty surprising, but pretty fun.”
While the venture is starting to take off, the generous guys haven’t given up their day jobs just yet. Cook works as a psychiatrist and Grant is a lawyer. And they’ve even found a way to work even more of a feel-good factor into their side project.
For every $20 bill that’s discovered, Plenty of Twenties donates $2 to one of five noteworthy charities, including the National Breast Cancer foundation and the Ronald McDonald House, according to their website.
And after successfully giving away $7,000, there’s been plenty of dough to go around to fulfill their mission, according to Boston.com.
One such grateful finder was the Mulcahey family. They came upon their $20 bill the day after their house burned down on Thanksgiving.
“It was huge for us,” Lisa Mulcahey told Boston.com. “The mere fact of finding a $20 bill was like sunlight after a major storm. It shows you that there’s good faith. We all sat there in the car and cried.”
Click through the slideshow below to see photos of some of the lucky finders and keepers.
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