Family finds hidden Christmas surprise in baby food package

A quick trip to the grocery store for baby food turned into an unexpected blessing for a Utah family over the weekend.

After Anntasia Kay arrived home from the store in Sunset on Saturday, she removed the lid from a package of baby snacks that she had purchased for her 8-month-old daughter, Echo. That's when she found a surprise from a good Samaritan, KSTU-TV reported.

'"I'm just like, 'Hey, Kaleb there's a paper just fell out of here,'" the mother of five recounted. "And he's like, 'Well, was it a coupon?' And he comes over. 'No, there's money in it.'"

The note, along with $30, fell from between the plastic lid and the package seal, Kay explained to the news station.

The note read:

Merry Christmas!

While in a very tight situation last Christmas some very generous strangers helped us in a similar way! Now we are overjoyed to help you! Merry Christmas and congratulations on this exciting time of life. We have certainly been here and know how challenging and wonderful this time of life can be and hope you feel our love.

Merry Christmas!

-Friends

The family has been facing some financial struggles, lately.

Echo's father, Kaleb Hicks, was recently laid off from his job, and Kay, who said she works for the government, isn't receiving a paycheck because of the partial government shutdown.

"I just barely start this job, and then we get shut down," Kay said. "It's just kind of hard, especially when you have five kids."

The couple said they had been saving to buy their daughter a new car seat and the found money was enough to make the purchase possible.

Now, Kay and Hicks hope that the people who left the gift will understand how much it meant to their family.

"[I want] to be able to say thanks," Hicks said. "We really appreciate what they did for us."