Earlier this year, a dad and husband from Ontario passed in a tragic snowmobile accident.
To honour him, a close family friend started the #OneForJames hashtag to encourage people to buy the coffee for the next person in line — something James used to do regularly.
Within hours, localers began sharing their part in paying it forward.
And soon the hashtag spread nationwide. Thousands of people who didn't know James were buying strangers a cup of coffee.
It was great to see the smile on the woman's face behind me when she got her coffee! #oneforjames
Even reaching folks in the States.
Jason Alexander, James' best friend and the guy behind the initiative, went out to see just how quickly the simple gesture caught on.
View this video on YouTube
Jason recorded himself handing over an extra toonie after paying for his own coffee and said "this is one for James." Enough people had done the same that day that the cashier knew exactly what he meant.
Jason tells BuzzFeed that he's not surprised by the response, but he is extremely grateful to anyone honouring his "best friend's legacy."
