# Giving $100 Bills To Strangers Guerrilla Secret Santas Give Out Cash in 3 States By Bianca | Published 2008-12-07 | Social Good Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/guerilla-secret-santa References: [news.yahoo](http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081206/ap_on_re_us/secret_santa) One of the most heart-warming guerrilla secret Santa movements is going on in the streets of three states right now. People who look like they might need a lift in Charlotte, N.C., Phoenix, St. Louis and Kansas City have the chance of being handed $100 bills by [generous teams of anonymous people](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/heartwarming-holiday-initiative) who are upholding a former millionaire’s Christmas tradition. “At a suburban Goodwill store on Friday, Theresa Settles selected a large, black comforter to warm her family until she can raise the money to turn the gas heat back on,” Yahoo News said. “A petite woman approached, her face obscured by dark sunglasses and a wrapped winter scarf, and handed Settles two $100 bills stamped with the words ‘secret Santa.’ ‘The only condition,’ she said, ‘is that you do something nice for someone. Pass it on.’” The [guerrilla gifting](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/flower-sharing) was started by Larry Stewart of Kansas City who, in his lifetime, gave out about $1.3 million in $100 bills on streets in December. An action like this could come at no better time. With the [credit crisis leaving people financially hurting](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/public-support), in some cases jobless, even homeless, a gesture like this shows the true miracle that lies within the hearts of us all. Now that’s the spirit of Christmas. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 1.4/10 - Activity: 35% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Social Good](https://www.trendhunter.com/socialgood) > [Charity](https://www.trendhunter.com/charity) ## Key Themes ### What's Driving This Trend - **Guerrilla Secret Santas:** Opportunity for companies or individuals to create a platform or campaign that would enable generosity through random acts of giving during the holiday season. - **Generosity Revolution:** Opportunity for companies to incorporate a culture of generosity in their business operations to promote positive social impact. - **Hyper-local Giving:** Opportunity for companies or startups to develop a platform or technology that focuses on enabling localized giving initiatives in communities. ### Who This Affects Most - **Non-profit:** Non-profit organizations can leverage the trend of guerrilla gifting to drive awareness, donations, and positive impact. - **Financial Services:** Companies can incorporate the generosity revolution into their business model to differentiate themselves while promoting financial wellness for their clients. - **Technology:** Technology companies can build innovative solutions that enable digital giving platforms, reward systems, and other tools to facilitate the trend of hyper-local giving. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Beer-Branded Cash Giveaways](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/molson-coors-santa.md) - [Mischievous Gift Deliveries](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-grinch.md) - [Unsung Hero Christmas Campaign](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/make-christmas-merry.md) - [Kindness-Promoting Ad Reboots](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/cocacolas-christmas-kindness.md) - [Charitable Advent Calendars](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/24-good-deeds.md) - [Connection-Focused Postal Holiday Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/la-postes-secret-santa.md) - [Charitable Live-Marketing Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/living-billboards.md) - [AI-Powered Digital Gifting Experiences](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/magical-moments.md) - [Kindness-Encouraging Soda Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-world-needs-more-santas.md)