photo #8875652

"Nobody understood why Dad kept the storage unit. Cost him $89 a month. We told him to cancel it, sell the stuff, save the money. He's 68, retired on a fixed income. Can barely afford his medication. But every month, without fail, $89 to Store-All on Industrial Drive. "What's even in there?" I asked last Christmas. "Things people need," he said. Wouldn't explain further. I followed him there in March. Couldn't help myself. Worried he was hoarding, losing his mind, wasting money we didn't have. Watched him unlock unit 247. It was full. Furniture. Appliances. Clothes on racks. Kitchen supplies. Bedding. Toys. All organized, labeled, clean. A woman with three kids met him there. He walked her through like a store. "Take whatever you need. No rush. No charge." She left with a microwave, dishes, winter coats for the kids, blankets. Crying. Thanking him over and over. "Dad, what is this?" He sighed. "When your mom and I divorced in '92, I moved into an empty apartment. Slept on the floor for three months. Ate off paper plates. It broke something in me, that emptiness. Made a promise then. If I ever could, I'd help people starting over." "But $89 a month" "I don't need much. But they need everything. People leaving abuse. People getting out of shelters. Refugees. Anyone starting from zero." He'd been doing it for eleven years. Filled that unit with donated furniture, thrift store finds, things neighbors gave him. Gave it all away to people rebuilding their lives. Over 200 families. "Why didn't you tell us?" "Because you'd try to stop me. Say I can't afford it. But I can't afford not to. You don't forget what empty feels like." I posted about it on Facebook. Just a photo of Dad in his storage unit, brief explanation. Asked if anyone had furniture to donate. It exploded. 4,000 shares in two days. Donations poured in. Furniture stores contributed. People rented additional units. Five units now. Volunteers helping. "Dad's Second Start" it's called. Sixteen storage facilities across the state doing the same thing. Furnishing empty apartments for people escaping, recovering, beginning again. Dad still pays for his original unit though. Won't let anyone else cover it. "It's my promise," he says. "Some things you pay for yourself." Last week, a woman showed up with her daughter. "Your dad furnished my apartment in 2015 when I left my abusive husband. I'm a social worker now. I send people to him. Brought dishes to donate." Dad cried. Doesn't cry often. Because he remembers sleeping on an empty floor. And he made sure hundreds of others never had to." . Let this story reach more hearts.... . Ai image is for demonstration purpose only. . By Mary Nelson