Pastor whose house burned down and car was totaled gets big surprise from a Secret Santa while shopping
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A local Secret Santa is giving $1 million to deserving people in eastern Idaho this holiday season and the East Idaho News elves are helping out.
Every day from now until the end of the year, we’ll be posting a Secret Santa surprise, and today we have a gift for a local pastor who lost nearly everything in a fire a few months ago.
Pastor Tom Shanor presides at The Little Church in the Pines in Island Park. He was living in his RV full-time until it and most of his belongings burned to the ground on Halloween.
RELATED | Local pastor’s home goes up in flames in Island Park
The fire appears to have been started by the furnace. He and his cat, Churchill, escaped the burning inferno without injury.
On his way out the door, Tom grabbed his car keys, glasses, wallet, and cell phone. That’s all he was able to take with him.
Later that day, Tom went to purchase replacement medicines and clothes when he hit a deer and totaled his car.
Tom is helpful and cares for others. He is community-minded and hasn’t let this hardship get him down.
Secret Santa asked us to track Tom down and it took us a few hours, but we finally caught up with him at the store and gave him a gift from Secret Santa. Check it out in the video player above!
