'I Just Want To Share My Happiness': Lottery Winner Spends $20,000 On Groceries For Strangers

January 15, 2026

After becoming a multi-millionaire overnight, an Ottawa woman is now making sure struggling families can afford groceries.

Patty Warden / CTV News

Patricia “Patty” Warden knows how hard things are right now. Grocery prices keep rising, and for many families, even a simple holiday meal feels out of reach.

“The hardest thing right now isn’t just the bills — it’s the cost of groceries,” Warden told CTV News. “I’m in a position to give back.”

So she walked into a Greely Foodland and began quietly handing out gift cards to shoppers — hundreds of them. Many were stunned when they realized a stranger had just paid for part of their groceries.

By the end of the afternoon, Warden estimates she had given away more than $20,000 in grocery gift cards.

Warden won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot in May 2024, but she says the biggest change isn’t what she can buy — it’s how many people she can help.

“I get to help a lot more people, which was my goal,” she said. “It’s life-changing in that way. But I’m still Patty. That will never change.”

Her generosity comes from a deeply personal place.

Before winning the lottery, Warden experienced years of trauma, illness, addiction, and homelessness. At one point, she was sleeping on park benches while struggling to survive.

“I owe everything to my mom,” she said. “She helped me rebuild my life — with integrity, caring, and respect for others. You can’t put a price on that. Seventy million dollars is nothing compared to those values.”

Warden has now been sober for 30 years, and she says giving back is one of the greatest joys of her life.

“I just want to share my happiness,” she said.

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