The Grinch found his or her heart.

A Vernon man who had his scooter stolen while attending a community Christmas dinner got the word he had been hoping for on Friday, Jan. 3.

"I woke up to a missed call and text from someone asking if I could come look at a scooter to see if it was mine," wrote Jeff Saunders on social media. "I asked him to send me a pic as I didn't want to get my hopes up.

"In the pic, I instantly saw the flashlight between handlebars I installed and started to shake. I watched my thumb vibrate while trying to get it to text."

After spending the holidays alone, Saunders wrote, he thought a Christmas meal would be fantastic. So he took his only means of transportation, his beloved, trusty Evercross H5 scooter and made his way with the snow falling to Vernon's Schubert Centre. 

He saved his money B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ living on a disabled person's income B´ÎÔª¹ÙÍøÍøÖ·“ he said, for one year to buy that scooter. When the scooter arrived at his home, he was overjoyed.

Saunders said he got to the dinner safely and took the scooter inside the centre as it was "dripping a bit." He said he took it inside locked doors that he was let into by volunteers, and asked them if the scooter was safe "as they were greeters and saw everyone coming in and out." He was assured the scooter was safe.

Next, he said, a young woman showed him to his seat but he stopped her, pointing at his scooter and stating he was "uncomfortable sitting where I could not see it."

Again, Saunders said he was assured the two-wheeler was safe.

Saunders sat down and enjoyed talking to the people at his table. A 102-year-old woman, he said, was dancing at the front of the room where a young woman was singing Christmas carols.

Halfway through the songs, Saunders said he decided to check on the scooter, to make sure it was alright. That's when he discover it was nowhere in sight.

"All the possibilities race through your head; someone moved it, or it's a practical joke," he said. "But ultimately, you know what happened. It set in that my scooter was stolen."

"In the blink of an eye," wrote Saunders, "I lost the ability to go to Walmart, go to the pharmacy, get groceries for me and my cat...gone. Just like that."

Saunders said he shed tears daily until he got the text message on Jan. 3.

"Thank you from the bottom of my heart," said Saunders. "Every person that forwarded, shared and donated has helped an incredible amount. Thank you with my utmost appreciation."