Bridge The Gap
Donation protected
Let's help Jeff stay warm this winter.
Friends, I'm asking you to help me Bridge The Gap!
On Thanksgiving Day, I went downtown and invited a less fortunate man into our home to share this holiday with my family and friends. He was standing outside The Lord's Diner waiting for them to open when I approached him and asked, "Excuse me Sir, would you like to join me and my family for Thanksgiving today?" His only question was "Will you bring me back" I smiled and told him that I would. He was in dire need of a shower and clean clothes. He got in the car and I began conversing with him trying to get some background information on him and just figure out his story. He told me that he was 59 with a birthday coming up on January 30, he possibly had a brother in Garden City, Kansas, but had no way of contacting him. He is severely allergic to insects among other things, and he was 5 days into his 90 day no shelter rotation. He told me he doesn't do drugs, but he does have a bad cigarette habit that he's had since a child. The shelter rotation that he explained to me was that he was allowed to live in the shelter for 90 days, but he had to leave the shelter for 90 days to allow others to take advantage of this assistance.
Once we arrived at the house, I told him to wait just inside the door so that our beloved Mamba could be introduced to him, lol Mamba wasn't impressed (I think it was the beard). I gave him towels for showering and fresh clothes to wear while I washed everything he had in his bag. Once the food was done and the guests had arrived, I prepared him a plate and brought it to him at the chair he thought was most comfortable. He devoured it and sat quietly, I yelled, "Jeff, would you like another plate?!" As with everything I offered, he responded "If you wouldn't mind". He never asked for anything, but gladly accepted any offer. He had 2 helpings and slowly dozed off for a quick nap while we waited for his clothes to finish. Sara prepared 2 more to-go plates for him to take with him when we left. He wore very old and damaged glasses, so I stopped at Walgreens hoping that a pair of reading glasses would suffice in their place, but once he saw what I was trying to do he explained that he had a stigmatism and these wouldn't work. I couldn't bring myself to just put him out on the street so I got him a hotel for the night and gave him $20 and told him to have a goodnight. I didn't take any pictures of/with Jeff because I never intended to publicize this event, but he's been on my mind lately with these brutally cold temperatures Wichita experiences. I will go to where he told me he usually spends his days to shower him with these blessings.
I am asking for your help in providing shelter for Jeff for his 90 day non shelter rotation. We don't have to provide a forever home, but I'm sure any help we can provide would be much appreciated. I've established a GoFund account where you can donate as you please. All contributions will be used to help Jeff through this winter. I will post pictures of Jeff as soon as possible and updates on what your contributions have been used for. A few things I noticed that he needed were:
New glasses
Undergarments
Dental work
Barbershop visit
Epipen
I'm not sure what made me choose Jeff to help that day, but I'm confident that I picked the right person. He never asked for anything, thanked me for everything while always being respectful and humble. What good is a blessing if you can't bless someone else. Thank you for your time and in advance for your help. Please share this on your timeline and encourage others to as well. Not sure what this is going to lead to, but let's help one person at a time.
www.gofund.me/ilt8ao
Friends, I'm asking you to help me Bridge The Gap!
On Thanksgiving Day, I went downtown and invited a less fortunate man into our home to share this holiday with my family and friends. He was standing outside The Lord's Diner waiting for them to open when I approached him and asked, "Excuse me Sir, would you like to join me and my family for Thanksgiving today?" His only question was "Will you bring me back" I smiled and told him that I would. He was in dire need of a shower and clean clothes. He got in the car and I began conversing with him trying to get some background information on him and just figure out his story. He told me that he was 59 with a birthday coming up on January 30, he possibly had a brother in Garden City, Kansas, but had no way of contacting him. He is severely allergic to insects among other things, and he was 5 days into his 90 day no shelter rotation. He told me he doesn't do drugs, but he does have a bad cigarette habit that he's had since a child. The shelter rotation that he explained to me was that he was allowed to live in the shelter for 90 days, but he had to leave the shelter for 90 days to allow others to take advantage of this assistance.
Once we arrived at the house, I told him to wait just inside the door so that our beloved Mamba could be introduced to him, lol Mamba wasn't impressed (I think it was the beard). I gave him towels for showering and fresh clothes to wear while I washed everything he had in his bag. Once the food was done and the guests had arrived, I prepared him a plate and brought it to him at the chair he thought was most comfortable. He devoured it and sat quietly, I yelled, "Jeff, would you like another plate?!" As with everything I offered, he responded "If you wouldn't mind". He never asked for anything, but gladly accepted any offer. He had 2 helpings and slowly dozed off for a quick nap while we waited for his clothes to finish. Sara prepared 2 more to-go plates for him to take with him when we left. He wore very old and damaged glasses, so I stopped at Walgreens hoping that a pair of reading glasses would suffice in their place, but once he saw what I was trying to do he explained that he had a stigmatism and these wouldn't work. I couldn't bring myself to just put him out on the street so I got him a hotel for the night and gave him $20 and told him to have a goodnight. I didn't take any pictures of/with Jeff because I never intended to publicize this event, but he's been on my mind lately with these brutally cold temperatures Wichita experiences. I will go to where he told me he usually spends his days to shower him with these blessings.
I am asking for your help in providing shelter for Jeff for his 90 day non shelter rotation. We don't have to provide a forever home, but I'm sure any help we can provide would be much appreciated. I've established a GoFund account where you can donate as you please. All contributions will be used to help Jeff through this winter. I will post pictures of Jeff as soon as possible and updates on what your contributions have been used for. A few things I noticed that he needed were:
New glasses
Undergarments
Dental work
Barbershop visit
Epipen
I'm not sure what made me choose Jeff to help that day, but I'm confident that I picked the right person. He never asked for anything, thanked me for everything while always being respectful and humble. What good is a blessing if you can't bless someone else. Thank you for your time and in advance for your help. Please share this on your timeline and encourage others to as well. Not sure what this is going to lead to, but let's help one person at a time.
www.gofund.me/ilt8ao
Organizer
Razell Smart
Organizer
Wichita, KS
