'Atlanta Angel' Tyler Perry Paid For Seniors' Groceries At More Than 70 Stores

Tyler Perry just made the lives of a lot of people in Georgia and Louisiana easier during the coronavirus pandemic.

The 50-year-old movie mogul purchased the groceries for certain shoppers at 44 Kroger stores in Atlanta and 29 Winn-Dixie stores in Louisiana. Perry’s generosity covered the hauls of elderly people shopping during the hour reserved for them amid the global health crisis.

Perry currently lives in Atlanta and grew up in New Orleans. The receipts for those whose groceries were paid for were reportedly signed “Atlanta Angel .”

Elderly and immunocompromised people are at high risk for serious complications from the coronavirus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , so many grocery stores have announced in the last few weeks that they’d be blocking off the first hour or two  of the business day for people 60 and older to shop.

Felix Turner, manager of corporate affairs for Kroger’s Atlanta division, said in a statement to HuffPost: “We would like to join our customers in thanking Mr. Perry for his kindness and generosity during this unprecedented pandemic. It was truly a pleasure to see our customers fill with joy and gratitude as the news spread throughout 44 stores across Metro Atlanta.”

Winn-Dixie tweeted a statement on Wednesday  thanking Perry for “paying it forward by purchasing groceries for elderly and high-risk [Winn-Dixie] customers shopping at Louisiana stores this morning.”

“Winn-Dixie applauds your love for community and sincere generosity,” the company said.

Perry did not comment on the grocery store purchases.

The filmmaker has been busy spreading generosity throughout the pandemic. Earlier this week, he gave a $500 tip for every single out-of-work server at Houston’s restaurant in Atlanta. In total, he doled out $21,000 to the workers.

CORRECTION: This article previously located the Winn-Dixie stores in New Orleans; they are located throughout Louisiana.