Today we would like to share a “Case of the Week” from our Hartselle AL office as told by Carol Wheeler, our Office Manager.

On Tuesday, the 11th of July, we had a Navy vet stop in who had fallen on hard times. He is a carpenter by trade and he had a partner who was in the landscaping business. The partnership fell apart and the landscaper absconded with all of his tools of the carpenter trade. He had no real way of making a living, he did have a temporary sign on his truck announcing that he was a veteran looking for work.

He had fallen behind on his truck payment and his phone had been turned off. He had no way of contacting his prior customers. He stated that when his ordeal started he weighed over 300 lbs. and was now down to 220. The majority of the weight loss was due to stress and not eating.

I quickly went to our food pantry and filled up a box of groceries, mostly food that did not have to be cooked. He then proceeded to consume various food items right in the office, it was clearly evident that he had not eaten in a while. We also supplied him with tooth brushes and pastes, as well as other toiletry items. We were able to make his truck payment and also donated a little gas money. We then directed him to the HUD/Veterans Affairs to possibly help him with his phone and housing.