When Paying It Forward Pays Off a Mortgage

Donna Handson did not expect that a trip to the thrift store would end up paying off her mortgage with Affinity Plus.

“Every Monday, I go to the thrift store,” Donna, a juvenile probation officer from St. Paul, said. “I go shopping for whatever we need and for other people at the church.”

On Nov. 11, 2025, Donna had already taken her normal trip to thrift store with her family, but then decided to double back for a second trip on her own when another request for clothing came in. 

When she arrived, Donna noticed a young man sitting on the pavement in the cold.

He wasn’t wearing appropriate clothing for the weather, and despite the large crowd for the Veteran’s Day sale, people kept walking past him, Donna said. She stopped, chatted with him, pulled him up off the ground and offered to buy him warmer clothing inside. 

“Someone was recording all of it, but I didn’t know that,” Donna said. “I was just worried about him.”

They went inside and picked out a sweater, socks, pants, shoes, a coat, gloves, and a hat for the young man, talking all the while. Then, as he was trying on the clothes, the young man told Donna he had a confession to make.

“He said, ‘Miss Donna, I don’t need these clothes. I have plenty of clothes in the trunk of my car outside,’” Donna said.

She was surprised and confused, and then the young man then introduced himself as Samuel Weidenhofer, an Australian social media influencer who spreads positivity and kindness. 

“He said ‘I want to bless you, here’s $300,’” Donna said. 

She responded with a scream and a hug. Then Sam asked about her dreams, and Donna said she wanted to pay off her mortgage.

“Sam said, ‘I have millions of followers on the Internet and I’m going to help you pay off that house,’” Donna said.

As an Affinity Plus member, Donna already believed in the power of paying it forward. 

She joined the credit union nearly 15 years ago, after the bank she’d been with for 24 years declined her a loan. Meanwhile, her daughter, who had been with Affinity Plus for 2 years at that point, had just received an auto loan.

“When she came home with that check, I thought I’ve been with this bank all these years and they wouldn’t give me a loan. I’m leaving and I’m going to Affinity Plus,” Donna said. “After I joined, I refinanced my mortgage with Affinity Plus, lowered my interest rate and we’ve been flying ever since!”

The change to Affinity Plus was like joining a new community, she said, and the personal relationships she made with the employees helped her bank with confidence. She even drops off the occasional sweet potato pie to show her appreciation.

“I know all of them, I know all my babies at Affinity Plus,” Donna said. “That makes me feel good, to know that they’re watching over me.”

The Australian influencer was true to his word, and set up a fund for Donna, to which his followers donated more than $47,000.

“It just touched my heart,” Donna said. “I couldn’t believe the love. I thought, Lord, bless each and every person who has helped me.”

When she came in to pay off the rest of her mortgage, the employees took her to the computer showing her the file with her loan information. 

“Then they let me push the button, and I was out of the system!” Donna said. “It cleared, and we started taking pictures and hugging, all of us.”

Then Donna took the time to donate to local charitable causes, including the Community Action Partnership and Special Olympics Minnesota’s Polar Plunge.

Because, in her words, “you never know an angel in disguise.”