At 7:05 Friday night, or shortly thereafter, Brandon Shipley's job loss and divorce didn't seem quite as awful as it had just minutes before.

Mackenzie Ralston, not working due to coronavirus and still grieving the recent loss of her father, smiled just a little bit.

Stacey Heiden, both her and her husband's hours cut back, her 72-year-old mom living on a fixed income, just sat staring at the screen and said "Wow."

As the residents of Fortville opened up the town's Facebook page Friday night, they saw that 7:05 p.m. post. And they were overwhelmed.

Don't worry about paying your April water and sewer bill. Every resident's has been paid in full by an anonymous donor, the town said.

"Thank you from the bottom of my heart," Chasity Despain wrote back. "Knowing at least one bill is going to be paid literally just brought me to tears."

Heiden told the IndyStar she saw that post and "I thought, 'Wow, what an incredibly selfless thing to do for our town,'" she said. "This was a nice surprise to know we have one less thing to worry over this month."

The donors giving anonymously, without any wish for notoriety, also made it feel a bit sweeter, Heiden said.

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"Although I'm safe in saying we all wish we knew who it was so we could thank them," she said. "But even though we don't, we are still very grateful and hope that this company is blessed, too."

Officials made it clear the donor wanted to stay anonymous in its Facebook announcement.

"The town has received a gracious donation with the stipulation that it be used to pay for April water/sewer bills. If you have already paid your April bill, you will see a credit on the May billing," Fortville's Friday Facebook post read.

The town went on to share the note it received from the donor: "This gift was made by local businesses as an encouragement that we all might look out for one another, find the needs of our neighbors, neighborhoods and do our part in helping them through this uncertain and unprecedented difficult time...and the good times that will soon follow," the donor wrote. "Thank you and God bless our people and our nation."

Thank you isn't enough

Rumors started swirling in Fortville -- which according to the 2018 U.S. Census had a population of 4,077.

Some residents said their bills are as high as $100 a month. Town manager Joe Renner said the total donation was more than $210,000.

“I thought that was pretty great," Renner said, "for a town that’s no bigger than what Fortville is, to have such caring people.”

"Whoever did this probably took a whole lot of stress off a whole lot of families," wrote Jenn Davis, one of nearly 200 people who commented.

Many on the post just wanted to say thank you. Others said they would pay it forward. Some said they would take the money they would have used to pay their April bills and donate it.

Residents of Fortville in Hancock County will not have to pay their April sewer and water bills thanks to an anonymous donor. Dana Benbow/IndyStar

"Seems like thank you just isn’t enough to say to this wonderful human being," said Wanda Holt. "God bless you."

Shipley, a heavy machine operator, had been been out of work since December. He went through a divorce in January and has been struggling financially. He had to sell one of his vehicles to make mortgage payments. The stress, he said, was unreal.

"When I (saw) my water bill had been paid for this month that was a huge weight off my shoulders," he told the IndyStar. "Times are hard. It's great to know there are wonderful people in this world. It gives me hope."

After learning of the donation, Shipley got a call to start work this week. It was like that donor set good things in motion, he said.

"We hope this makes your day a bit brighter," Fortville said in its Facebook post. "Stay safe."

IndyStar's ‘Hoosiers United’ reporting project is made possible through the support of the Lilly Endowment Inc. and United Way of Central Indiana.