Help Shelby Get Back on His Feet with a Work Truck and Tools

Hi, my name is Troy, and I’m reaching out to help my dear friend of over 20 years, Shelby, who’s been through a relentless string of hardships. Shelby is the kindest, most generous and authentic friend I’ve ever had. He’s always there for me when I need him. Right now, he’s facing a crisis, and I’m hoping we can rally to help him get back on his feet. Please bear with me a bit as I back up to tell you the whole story.

For seven years, Shelby worked as an in-home caregiver for a special needs man named Gene, pouring his heart into that role. I saw Shelby with Gene regularly, and Shelby’s patience was endless. I don’t think many people could do for Gene what Shelby did for him. I tried to watch Gene once for 10 minutes at Disneyland and I know I couldn’t do what he did. This is what Shelby did 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Shelby would spend his own money on Gene that he made from caring for him, even though Shelby was often not getting paid by California what he was supposed to be. I watched over the years as the relationship evolved from patient/caregiver to little brother/big brother. But when Gene’s disabled mother passed away during COVID, Gene was placed in an institution, and Shelby lost his job, his home, and his little brother. This happened at the same time the lockdowns hit and Shelby was forced to stay in a motel. What was supposed to be a ten-day shelter-in-place order stretched into months, draining every penny of the savings he’d built up over years until he ended up living in his car.

Despite these blows, Shelby’s resilience shone through. He eventually landed a job as a maintenance worker and, through some luck, his boss rented him an affordable apartment in one of the units Shelby maintained at a discount in exchange for working for him. When Shelby’s vehicle died, his boss even helped him get a shabby, but functional work truck to keep going. Things were going so well in fact, that Shelby felt he could juggle going back to school, because it was getting harder to be a maintenance worker at his age.

But last week, his world turned upside down again. Someone stole his truck. He not only needs his truck to get to his job, but to perform it. The police did recover his vehicle, but after he was able to borrow the $354 to get it out of impound, he discovered that all of his tools had been stolen. Devastating… but after a quick jump, at least he had a running vehicle so he could keep his job.

Then, in a crushing blow, this week the truck was stolen again! And this time it was totaled in a high speed police chase! (Shown in video above) Without a reliable vehicle, he’s not able to perform his job, which means he can’t afford to keep his apartment, and of course will have to drop out of school.

Shelby needs a reliable, used work truck with a roof rack to carry his tools and keep his maintenance job. We’re aiming to raise enough money to cover a solid older model (like a Ford F-150 or Chevy Silverado), a roof rack, taxes, and some basic tools. Every dollar will help Shelby stay on his feet, and keep him from becoming homeless on the street in Los Angeles.

Shelby has always been so generous to others, and now it’s our turn to be there for him. Any contribution, big or small, will make a huge difference in helping him rebuild. Thank you for reading and for any support you can offer to get Shelby back on the road!