Tom Zimmerman IV was waiting in line at a Lehighton grocery store when he realized the woman in front of him was having trouble paying for her items.

He decided to pitch in a few dollars - and the woman, from Palmerton, said she’ll never forget his act of kindness.

Zimmerman never expected to have contact with the woman again, but she tracked him down after recognizing him in a photo that was published a few days later in the Times News.

“It was Dec. 22 and I was in Giant in Lehighton behind a lady in real checkout line - not the self-checkout as I was buying a gift card,” Zimmerman said.

As the cashier rang up the woman’s order, she realized she was short on cash. She dug around for her debit card and couldn’t immediately find it, Zimmerman said.

Not wanting to inconvenience other shoppers in line, the woman asked the cashier to remove some items from her order.

“Myself and the lady behind me were talking and we told the cashier we would split the difference of $12 so we each paid $6 toward it,” Zimmerman said. “We decided to help because it was the right thing to do. I think everyone has been there, having a lot on their mind and getting flustered at times.”

He left the store and didn’t think much else about it.

And then, about a week later, he received a note from the woman. She enclosed a photo of Zimmerman that was published in the Times News. In the photo, Zimmerman posed with other Mahoning Valley Lions Club members and the gifts they were donating to the Mahoning Valley Convalescent Home.

“The note said, ‘I noticed Tom in the photo as the guy who helped me at Giant. I am enclosing the $12 that he paid toward my groceries,’” Zimmerman said.

The woman, who identified herself as Lynne from Palmerton, wrote that she “would never forget this act of kindness.”

She also wrote that she did find her charge card in her wallet.

“I sure was not expecting it and it gave me a very warm feeling to know there are people like Lynne still in the world today,” Zimmerman said.

He said what happened at the supermarket was a positive lesson.

“The moral of the story is always be willing to lend a hand as you never know what someone is going through,” he said.