It’s difficult not to run across a homeless person, especially these days when the economy has pretty much gone down the toilet. But rarely do we stop to consider what brought these people to such a deplorable situation in their lives. Most of us either don’t have the time, or we simply don’t care. But one woman in Webster, Texas actually took the time to reach out to a homeless man she’d seen a few times a day over the past couple of years. Not only did she finally get to hear his side of the story, but she also managed to lend him a hand in the process.But there was a reason for this, and he wasn’t asking for food or money. He had been waiting for his mom to come back and get him.
So she started visiting Victor on her lunch break and the two quickly became good friends. Victor even accepted her gracious invitation to stop by her house, where she lives with her husband Dean, whenever he wanted to get out of the freezing weather.
Among those drivers was a woman named Ginger Sprouse, who had seen Victor about four times a day for the last three years. So finally she decided to ask him what his story was and she got an earful.
She was finally able to get Victor the mental health treatment he needed and got him off the streets. She even hired him to work in the kitchen at Art Of The Meal, which she owns.
So on December 2016, she pulled up and rolled down her window so she could him why he was standing in that corner. She claims that she was very concerned and several members of the community had been wondering what his deal was.
Before long, people were donating clothing and supplies. They were even able to set up doctor’s appointments for him and eye tests. Now he not only put on some much-needed weight, but he sees clearly again.
On that page she talks about his story, which is heartbreaking.
He mentioned to Ginger how he had battled mental illnesses, and had no place to live, but that he was waiting for his mom to come back.
“She came around and she kind of saved me. It’s like grace,” he said. So you see? It only takes one person to start an amazing domino effect of love and kindness. Hopefully, Ginger’s act of compassion will be an inspiration for others as well.
There was plenty of praise to go around for Ginger, whom many considered an angel. But people wanted to help too. So some asked if Victor needed clothes, shoes, toiletries. Others wrote letters of encouragement, especially kids.
Ginger did learn that Victor had lived with his mother in an apartment down the street where he now stood. For whatever reason, he is still to this day hopeful that his mother will return someday.
Fortunately, Ginger had the perfect solution through a GoFundMe page. So she asked people to donate and in just 2 months, 601 people had collectively donated $26,935, even though the goal was only for $25,000.
It didn’t matter if it rained or if the sun was shining brightly. It was probably a lucky thing that Ginger came to his rescue when she did because some people, including local law enforcement were worried about his presence in the community.
She does know through Victor that he suffers from several disorders, but although he was occasionally medicated, she wasn’t sure what those disorders were. But she noticed that he had his ups and downs as far as his behavior was concerned. Fortunately, things are looking up for him.
First off, Ginger managed to connect with Victor’s uncle, which was great, because that eventually lead to him finally reuniting with his mother. So in essence, he got his happy ending.
Even when all she’d do was drive up to him, he would ask, “How are you doing today? Are you doing okay?” Then he’d add, “Don’t ever let anybody do you wrong.”
Compassion and love is what this world needs a lot more of and Ginger is certainly a great example of this, because everyone needs somebody sometime. In fact, we all need to be loved all the time because it can change our lives like it did Victor.
