Hi everyone, my name is Randy, I’m the owner of BEST RIDES TEXAS LLC. I want to share a heartbreaking story about a member of our SOUTHLAKE/GRAPEVINE community, Russell, in hopes we can come together to give him the fresh start he deserves.

I met Russell back in January early one morning when I was out working. He is an older guy, very friendly with a warm, kind soul. He was telling me about how he works at the Tom Thumb grocery store in SOUTHLAKE full-time as the night manager in charge of freight and shipping. He said he works overtime whenever possible and has full benefits, which are good. As he was talking, something wasn’t quite making sense about his story, so I pushed him a little harder. He shared with me that he went through a divorce which left him financially ruined. He has been HOMELESS for 8 YEARS and lives in his truck in the parking lot of the Tom Thumb grocery store in Grapevine (if you go by there most days you’ll see his truck parked at the back of the parking lot — a blue Dodge with the Dallas Cowboys star on the side)! As if that wasn’t bad enough, his truck was broken down and wouldn’t even start!! He said when it gets too cold he goes in the grocery store and hangs out to get a break. He doesn’t have access to a shower or laundry, he just washes his face in the grocery store bathroom.

Our amazing mechanic Darren volunteered to help get his truck back up and running so at least he could have some heat and transportation. Since then, I’ve been checking in on him every so often and seeing how his job search and apartment search are going. I actually do most of my shopping at the Tom Thumb in Grapevine, so I see him at the store every once in a while and chat with him. Such a nice guy!

He reached out to me a couple weeks ago and was very excited when he thought he finally found an apartment in Arlington that he could afford for about $850 a month. Then about a week later, he texted me again and was devastated that they required a $1000 deposit and he simply doesn’t have that money so he’s back to square one. He had applied at the H-E-B grocery store that they are building in Bedford but was not hired for that position. He literally told me that he feels like giving up!

I just find it both heartbreaking and tragic that here right in the center of one of the wealthiest communities in our area, where all of us shop and go on with our everyday lives, there’s a man who has been living in his truck in the parking lot for 8 years! Most of us walk right past him sleeping in his truck as we go about our days and do our normal shopping completely unaware of the situation and his circumstances.

I’m hoping we can all share even just a little bit of our resources to try to help this man get some dignity back in his life, a roof over his head, and maybe give him a fresh start! Even just $5 or anything would go a long way toward getting him an apartment so he doesn’t have to spend another winter in his truck.

The goal is to raise enough funds ($3,000) to pay his deposit and his first two months of rent to give him a buffer.

If you’re able to donate, we greatly appreciate your generosity. If not, please help by sharing this post as widely as possible! God bless you!