The gift is part of MSUFCU’s weeklong Pay it Forward project the union is hosting to give back to and celebrate the community that has supported them for 75 years.

April Clobes, MSUFCU executive vice president and chief operating officer, said the union was told Pay it Forward made someone’s day.

“(Pay it Forward) spreads a positive attitude across (the) community, and I think that’s great,” Clobes said.

Clobes said MSUFCU has kept each location and gift a secret, but put clues on the union’s social media so people could try to figure out where it would be.

General management sophomore Sean Woods visited SBS in search of a textbook, which he found was sold out, so receiving a mug cheered him up.

“It (put) me in a lot better mood, for sure,” Woods said. “One day, we’ll see, I’ll be able to return the favor.”

The credit union has visited various locations in Greater Lansing this past week to pay it forward for the customers, including Biggby Coffee, 270 W. Grand River Ave., various restaurants in East Lansing and Celebration! Cinema, 200 E. Edgewood Blvd. The credit union either pays for an item the customer was going to buy, such as at Biggby Coffee, or gives the customer a gift card, such as the ones distributed at SBS, Clobes said.

According to an MSUFCU press release, $7,500 has been set aside for Pay it Forward.

As someone who currently is studying business, Woods said MSUFCU’s Pay it Forward is a good marketing tool, and it even worked on him.

“If I already didn’t have a credit union and so forth, I’d definitely be looking at the MSU one for sure,” Woods said.

Finance freshman Haitian Zhu said, after receiving a mug in SBS, he knows about paying it forward from the movie “Pay It Forward.”

“I think it’s wonderful, and I like it,” Zhu said. “I will pay (it) forward.”