A waitress at a New Jersey diner wasn’t expecting anything in return when she did a good deed for a group of firefighters that sat at one of her tables.

Liz Woodward, 24, approached a table to find two firefighters who had just spent the last 24 hours fighting a warehouse fire.

“I had been following the New Brunswick fire on the news,” Woodward told TODAY.com. “This was their first meal in over 24 hours; the least I could do was buy it for them for all they do every day.”

Woodward picked up the bill and left this note on the guest check:

“Your breakfast is on me today — Thank you for all that you do; for serving others & for running into the places everyone else runs away from. No matter your role, you are courageous, brave, and strong…what an example you are. Get some rest.”

The firefighters thanked the woman and even posted a photo of the diner on Facebook, encouraging people to eat there.

But the story doesn’t end there.

The firemen found out that Woodward had been on GoFundMe trying to raise enough money to get a wheelchair-accessible van for her father, a quadriplegic.  The firefighters returned to the social media network.

“Turns out, the young lady who gave us a free meal is really the one that could use the help…,” firefighter Tim Young posted.

The firefighters and their friends and family pulled together to raise $67,000…much more than the goal of $17,000.

“This is just one example of how so many people in this world have incredible hearts and they pay it forward so the circle keeps on moving,” Woodward said.