In honour of Halloween, today I share a story of a bizarre act of corporate generosity.  The Hampton Hotels chain based in Memphis, Tennessee recently swooped in to the town of Roland, Manitoba (population 350) to fix its hallowed monument, a 1,500 pound pumpkin. If this sounds odd, imagine how the chairman of the Roland Pumpkin Fair felt when he received a phone call offering assistance in sprucing up the pumpkin and the grounds it sits on: at first he thought it was a prank call and almost hung up. No word on how Hampton Hotels found out about the need, but according to newspaper reports, the Great Roland Pumpkin was the 34th monument it has helped restore in North America since it began the Save-A-Landmark program in 2000. It’s worth mentioning, there is only one Hampton Hotel in the entire province of Manitoba, and it is not near the town. All that remains of the five Hampton staff from Memphis who flew in to save the pumpkin from graffiti and the elements is a small plaque that verifies Roland’s pumpkin as the largest in the world. The hotel chain’s marketing director states "it’s about figuring out places that are quirky and fun" moreso that what communities can do for them. A random act of kindness isn’t that mysterious after all… please add to my bizarre gifts collection by commenting here!