Complete Strangers Surprise Hardworking Father After Landscaping Equipment Is Stolen
Have you ever clawed your way over some obstacle, fighting as hard as you can to achieve something worthwhile, only to feel as though someone has kicked you back down to the bottom for no good reason? Memphis, Tennessee, landscaper Homer Jones understands that feeling.
Like many people, Jones did some things when he was younger that got him on the wrong side of the law. The natural consequence of his actions was that he spent some time in jail.
However, he was unwilling to let those early experiences carve the rest of his life’s course for him. “I am a convicted felon from things I did when I was younger,” he told WREG.
“It’s hard for me to find a job. Instead of me constantly looking for a job and going without, I created a job for myself.”
That job was landscaping, a business he advertised on Facebook and worked at faithfully. Yet on June 25 when he arrived at the storage shed where he kept his equipment, he saw a horrible sight: His locks had been cut and most of his equipment stolen.
For a self-employed businessman, it was a devastating blow. The tools of his trade had vanished.
“That’s how I take care of my family,” he explained in a video interview with WREG, tears silently rolling down his cheeks. “I feed three others, besides myself, with that.”
Sadly, Jones isn’t alone in dealing with the awful effects of theft. Nearly two-thirds of all small businesses suffer from stealing, and businesses are four times more likely to get targeted by thieves than residential homes.
In too many cases, the theft of Jones’ equipment would’ve become a killing blow of sorts, the start of a slow slide back into delinquency.
Yet when a local news station covered Jones’ plight, a group of Memphis residents stepped up to help him get back on his feet.
When Pat Pope and her husband saw the segment on Jones, they “felt like you were working so hard and doing such a good job trying to help your family that we wanted to contact (reporter) Tim (Simpson) and see if we could pass it on to you. … We felt like God put that on our hearts for you.”
The couple’s gift was a thick sheaf of hundred-dollar bills. And they weren’t the only ones to step up.
Another complete stranger contacted Jones and asked to meet him at a local Home Depot. When he arrived, the individual proceeded to buy brand new equipment for him.
“You see more criminals on the news than good things,” a thankful Jones said.
“It programs your mind to think that is all that is going on, but there is actually some good people out here.”
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