Proud mother watches as son pays for Hurricane Irma evacuee's meal

When a 9-year-old in Alabama noticed the Florida license plate on the car in front of him in the drive-thru on Friday, he asked his mom if they could pay for the evacuee's meal.

"I didn't want them to waste their money on food because they're trying to escape the hurricane," Landon Routzong told ABC News. "I felt like I should help out."

His mom, Tara Parker Routzong, said of course they could pay for his meal. She asked a Chick-fil-A employee about it in the drive-thru. The employee said of course, but they'd have to figure out a way to reach the drive-thru before the car.

"Here's my debit card. Run!" Routzong told her son.

So the normally shy Landon sprinted to the window before the customer was able to pay. The customer, it turns out, was coming from Miami, and he was grateful for the kind gesture.

His mom was so proud she reflected about her son's sweet gesture on Facebook. She wrote:

"Went to Chick Fil A for lunch today because yum. Landon saw the car in front of us was from Florida (we have been talking about Irma today) and he declared we were paying for their meal and I agreed. But how do you pay for the car in front of you?? You run toward their window with a debit card in hand and scare the mess out of them lol The man has left his home in Miami and was passing through to go stay with family in Birmingham. I told him we hoped he returned to his house untouched and that we'd keep him in our thoughts. Landon and I both had tears in our eyes from how appreciative he was. I often feel like I'm failing because I can't do it all, all the time and then things like this happen and remind me that I don't have to. My most important job is going just fine."