Saints Owner Gayle Benson Pays Off Hundreds Of Walmart Layaway Orders

The holidays are upon us, and many families are scrambling to buy presents for loved ones even as many have faced financial hardships this year. To help spread some holiday cheer and bring a little magic to hundreds of families, New Orleans Saints and Pelicans owner Gayle Benson paid off hundreds of layaway orders in Louisiana and Alabama.

On December 16, Benson paid off the orders at Walmart locations in New Orleans and Alexandria, Louisiana, as well as Birmingham, Alabama.

"This is exactly what we need right now," said Robert Scothorn, store manager at the Alexandria location. "With everything going on this year with COVID and the hurricanes, we need something like this to spread joy this time of year. It was a wonderful surprise from Mrs. Benson and the Saints and Pelicans. I can't express enough gratitude for such a generous contribution."

Benson's generosity extended to Birmingham as well, where the Pelican's G-League affiliate will be located after renovations at Legacy Arena are completed by 2022.

"We're just so thankful that Mrs. Benson did such a wonderful, wonderful act of kindness," said Cedric Towns, manager of the Roebuck Walmart near Birmingham. "So many people in our area have been affected by the pandemic, and this goes a long way in helping them out."

According to WBRC, Benson helped out a total of 300 families across the two states. Towns said he was at his store when some of the families found out and that they were surprised and thankful.

"Having someone like Mrs. Benson is very important to us at Walmart, and she is directly impacting the community in ways we could never imagine," said Towns. "We could not be more thankful for this extreme act of kindness."

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