Hey y'all! My name's Ivy, here's why I'm here.

If you’ve seen Thomas’s story on TikTok/Insta, then you’ve already met the man behind the hot dog stand!!

But for those who haven’t, let me introduce you to Thomas.

Thomas is 86 years old.

Veteran and has been awarded two Purple Hearts. He has lived a life filled with both incredible stories and unimaginable loss. Parents died when he was young. No siblings he knows of. His wife and children have all went to Heaven before him! He is alone now.

Despite being 86 years old and living with leukemia, Thomas still works (Runs a fully functioning, health deparment approved, Hot Dog Stand)

...Because he has to.

Due to his current financial situation (check TikTok/Insta for details), retiring simply isn’t something he can afford.

Thomas lives in a small 70's RV at an RV park, where he works as the maintenance man and "on call type park manager" in exchange for being able to stay there.

Boiling peanuts in his shed out back Monday and Tuesday and every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, Thomas loads up his hot dog stand and works long days selling hot dogs and p-nuts—all by himself.

The work is physically demanding, and there is a lot of heavy lifting involved. That’s why we (my family) started helping Thomas set up and pack up his stand whenever we can.

But somewhere along the way, Thomas became more than just the man with the hot dog stand.

He became our friend... and family!

And now, we want to help him.

Our dream is to help Thomas retire. After reading all your comments, it seems like y'all wanna help too! :)

We have a small barn on our land that we hope to turn into a simple, comfortable little home for Thomas.

A place where he can finally rest!

A place where he doesn’t have to worry about loading and unloading a hot dog stand just to survive!

A place where he has family nearby...

A place to call home.

❤️

Thomas has spent more than 40 years writing poetry.

Every morning he's up before 4 AM, prays, and writes.

For decades, those words have mostly remained in notebooks!

BUT I FOUND THEM! :)

Recently, we started turning some of Thomas’s poetry into songs so that people could finally hear the words he has spent a lifetime writing.

And when we shared his story... well, y'all noticed!!

And asked how y'all can help! This fundraiser is our answer.

Our goal is to raise enough money to:

Create a comfortable living space out of, a, our barn, or b, a tiny house/living shed for Thomas

Help cover necessary renovations, materials, utilities, and furnishings

️ Provide Thomas with the basic things he needs to make the space feel like home

❤️ Help create financial breathing room so Thomas can work less—and hopefully retire

Any funds raised beyond the immediate cost of preparing Thomas’s home will go toward supporting Thomas and his living expenses.

We will do our best to keep everyone updated throughout this journey so you can see exactly how your generosity is helping!!

⸻

From an early age, Thomas has had to fight to survive! Yet he still puts others above himself...

He’s worked. He’s served. He’s survived. He’s kept going... and keeps going lol

We would love to give him the chance to finally slow down. SO...If you feel led to donate, THANK YOU!!

And if you’re unable to donate, sharing Thomas’s story means more than you know!!

Let’s show Thomas that even though he may not have family left in the traditional sense…

HE'S NEVER ALONE

❤️

Thank you for loving Thomas.