In December 2021, Dallen Harrell – a UPS driver who was hired temporarily for the holiday season – proved that small deeds can yield large returns, even when a return isn’t expected. At least that’s what happened nearly two years ago when his one small act of compassion went viral for all the right reasons.
Harrell was delivering packages in his UPS truck in Roswell, Georgia when he arrived at the home of Jessica Kitchel and her husband, Mack Kitchel. They didn’t know each other, but the 24-year-old UPS driver remembered seeing a big stork lawn sign in their front yard announcing the birth of their son.
On this particular day, Harrell had a UPS package addressed to the Kitchel family’s home (a box of baby formula), so he decided to take a moment to share some words of encouragement with the newly-minted parents. He stopped in front of their Google Nest doorbell camera and left the family a sweet message.
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“If this is the ‘It’s a Boy’ house… I hope all is going well with your newborn,” Dallen Harrell said into the doorbell camera – thinking this would be his first and last encounter with them. “I had a child at around the same time you guys did, and I just hope everything is going good. God bless and happy holidays.”
Jessica Kitchel was inside the home – recovering from her C-section in November 2021 – when he left the message and she received a notification on her phone. It was a video that lasted just 26 seconds, but it was one she’ll remember forever as she was floored by his thoughtful, genuine, and random gesture.
“I was just so blown away by the fact… that he took the time to stop and do it, and more so that he was so observant that he remembered this was the ‘It’s a Boy’ house with the stork,” Jessica said in an interview with The Washington Post at the time. The 36-year-old immediately posted the video on her Instagram.
In the caption, she wrote about how nice it was to be reminded that ‘there are still great people working hard every day for us’ and added that she wished she knew his name – a wish that was granted when a UPS representative called her and identified him as Dallen Harrell. So, she decided to reach out to him.
UPS Driver Rewarded for His Thoughtful Gesture
Dallen Harrell, the UPS driver behind the kind gesture, hopped on a phone call with Jessica Kitchel and explained how he had welcomed a son with his fiancee, Taqueria Robinson-Davidson, in September 2021 and felt like sharing some kindness with a family who was going through a similar experience as he was.
In an effort to extend their appreciation for his kind gesture, Kitchel and her husband put together a care package for Dallen and his son, Deveraux. They met less than a week after the video when he returned to their home to deliver another UPS package. Jessica was happy to get a chance to meet him in person.
With their story going viral online, Jessica decided to share a link to his baby registry after learning that he and his wife didn’t have a baby shower. It didn’t take long before every single item on his registry was ordered and being delivered to his home – all thanks to strangers who were touched by his nice gesture.
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The reward didn’t end there. After UPS caught wind of the story, they offered Harrell a permanent full-time job as a UPS driver and he accepted it. “When I left the comment at the doorbell, I didn’t even expect to hear from them, and so many blessings have followed behind,” he said of the unexpected interaction.