PLEASANT HILL, Iowa — A group of people from the east side of Des Moines are giving back this holiday season, in a big way.
The group, Shock and Claus, goes to a restaurant, and each person pays for their meal — along with a hefty tip for their server.
This year, they ate at The Hills Bar & Grill, and the money benefitted waitress Carissa Kuehl.
The meal and tip came out to more than $2,000.
Kuehl told Local 5 the generous tip will help make her and her children's Christmas dreams come true.
"I can give [my children] whatever they want. I don't have to tell them, you know, 'No, that's not coming this year,' you know," she said. "I don't like to see the disappointment on their face, so this is going to do so much and then some."
It's the fourth year the group has done this kind of surprise, and this year, part of the tip was donated by people who didn't even attend the dinner. Plenty of people at the restaurant noticed the joy it brought.
"This is the most wonderful experience I have ever seen in this restaurant. It was wonderful. It was beautiful ... I wish all the servers in this world would have an opportunity like this," said executive chef and owner Alejandro Hernandez.
The group said that, most of all, they hope other people follow along and give back to others in the community all year 'round.