A Surprise at Register One: How Father Jim Brought Hope Back to Isom IGA

On an ordinary day at Isom IGA, shoppers lined up with carts full of groceries, expecting nothing more than a routine trip through the checkout line.

But this time, something unexpected happened.

Hidden in lane one, Father Jim Sichko had quietly returned to the small Eastern Kentucky community with a plan to spread random acts of kindness through the small Kentucky town.

Going undercover as a cashier, Father Jim was in town to pay for every shopper’s groceries who came through his lane.

A Relationship Started in Crisis

When catastrophic floods devastated Eastern Kentucky in 2022, Isom IGA was left as little more than a shell. The damage was a total loss.

Recovery didn’t happen overnight.

“It took these past few years just to clean up,” Simon Christon, owner of Isom IGA, said.

Businesses across the region struggled to rebuild. Infrastructure repairs moved slowly. And like many towns in Kentucky’s coal country, Isom has continued to face population decline as younger residents leave for cities like Lexington and Louisville in search of work.

In the middle of that uncertainty, Father Jim Sichko reached out.

A Kentucky-based missionary of mercy ordained by the Pope, Father Jim travels the country supporting families and communities in crisis. After hearing about the devastation in Isom, he contacted the Christon family and ultimately contributed around $90,000 to help rebuild the store.

For Simon and his family, it was more than financial help. It was someone choosing to stay involved.

“You’ll have people come in during the initial cleanup,” Simon said. “But when it comes to rebuilding or future growth, you never see them again. Father Jim stays in close contact with us. He’s always there.”

When Isom IGA reopened in 2023, it marked more than the return of a business. It signaled that the town itself was still moving forward.

Since reopening, the store has grown. Customers now travel from farther away, drawn in part by the story of its recovery. The store has expanded operations and hired additional employees to meet the increased demand.

“God’s really been good to us,” Simon said. “He’s allowed us to keep our business open and continue to grow.”

A Secret Months in the Making

Earlier in the year, Father Jim reached out to Simon again. This time with a new idea.

“He messaged me and said he wanted to come back to our community and do something to help our people,” Simon said. “But he said he wanted it to be a surprise.”

So the two kept it between them.

Father Jim asked to work register one, “because he’s number one,” Simon joked, and the store gently directed customers to his lane under the pretense that he was a new employee in training.

As each customer reached the end of their transaction and prepared to pay, Father Jim stopped them.

“It’s on the house today,” he told them.

At first, many didn’t believe him.

Simon said customers would try to hand over their cards anyway, assuming it was a joke. Others stood frozen, asking if he was serious. Some became emotional right there at the register.

Whether they were a family watching every dollar, or an individual who had a nice surprise on an otherwise normal Tuesday, everybody felt lucky to go through Father Jim’s line that day.

Soon, word began to spread inside the store and Father Jim’s line grew larger and larger.

The event was not promoted ahead of time and most shoppers genuinely had no idea until they reached the register. That element of surprise was intentional. Father Jim didn’t want attention. He wanted impact. By the end of the day, Father Jim had personally covered roughly $1,800 in groceries for shoppers who came through his lane.

More Than a Visit, A Continued Commitment

What happened at register one was simply another chapter in the story between Father Jim and the town of Isom.

For some customers, it was about the money saved that day. For others, it was about being seen and cared for in a place that’s fought hard to stay open.

For Simon, it was a reminder that generosity can outlast disaster headlines.

“Just him coming back and helping our community again speaks a lot about his character,” he said. “We are extremely grateful for him.”