Date: 2024-05-15 Page is: DBtxt003.php txt00018854
Good Deeds
The Best of Humanity
Kentucky Garbage Man Hadn't Seen Elderly Woman's Trash Can Out, Rightly Felt Something Was Amiss.
Peter Burgess
Jake Bland has dual roles at his job at Hometown Hauling, a refuse collection company in Louisville, Kentucky.
He’s the operations manager and he’s also on the truck picking up his customers trash.
He noticed that one of those on his route, an elderly single woman, hadn’t put out her trash for two weeks...he felt...he knew...that something just wasn’t right. So instead of just moving along without a second thought, he called his dispatcher, Bernice Arthur, and voiced his concerns.
She called the 90 year old customer and was relieved that she answered the phone, but was heartbroken when she found out why she hadn’t taken out her trash.
She didn’t have any.
Said Bernice, 'She just didn't have nothing to eat….and that's why she had no trash to put out there.'
For over two weeks, because her caregiver quit over pandemic fears, she had no way to get food or even leave the house, as she is wheelchair bound.
And she ran out of food.
Ten days before.
She has no family, nobody.
I said, ‘You do have a family now.’”
After his shift, Jake returned to her house and told her to please compile a grocery list, which she did.
But it was too short, so he asked her to please add more to the list.
But it was still too short.
He asked permission to look in her fridge and kitchen cabinets, and when she said yes and he did….they were empty.
He then gently insisted that she go to town and really compile a list, with his assistance.
When Jake was satisfied that the list was now complete, he then went shopping and delivered the car load to ‘Mrs.W.’
Paid for by the company.
Said Bernice, 'Had we not reached out to her….she wasn't reaching out to anyone, and it taught me, regardless, check on them. Put something on their porch. Let them know.'
And the company vowed to check on the many elderly and disabled customers that they have, as throughout the country, many of these brothers and sisters are struggling to get food.
Even more so than they usually do.
And that they will check on Mrs. W every week.
And as Jake observed, 'It was even in a nice neighborhood. You never know what's going on in your neighbor's house.'
As WDRB noted….
Bland and Arthur played a pivotal role in potentially saving the woman's life, and they hope their story serves as a reminder to check on loved ones in any way possible.
Indeed.
I have very recently read comments here by errant community members disparaging those from Kentucky.
Just because...
Imagine if they thought that they worked in refuse.
Imagine if they knew that Mrs W is a sister of color.
Well, here are the faces of two good neighbors that seemingly care more about the well-being of the meekest and weakest in our society then no less than 53 U.S. Senators and 196 members of the House of Representatives.
Well dressed and finely educated though they may be.
zvuno-hometown-hauling-buys-groceries-for-elderly-woman-1.jpg lmmak-berinice1.jpg
An interview with these two kind folk can be found here…
Peace and blessings to Jake, Bernice and Mrs.W.
As a side note, yesterday i called the company and Bernice answered.
I told her i was calling from Colorado and that i wanted to thank her for her compassion, and to pass it along to Jake.
She was sweet, thanked me, wanted me to stay safe….
…...and told me how much she likes John Denver. :-)