When people are down on their luck, it’s the kindness of strangers that can make a big difference. For one homeless man, local student Casey Fisher made an impact she never expected. He handed her a note before they said their goodbyes, and she couldn’t believe what it said…
Meeting Casey Fisher
Casey Fisher, a recent mother, was excited to bring her daughter to the local donut shop for breakfast. She was planning on just a quick trip, but fate had another plan in store for her…
Meeting Chris
On the side of the road, a man named Chris was sitting on the curb. Chris was clearly homeless and down on his luck, so Casey wanted to do something nice for him. She decided to grab him a bagel from the shop…
Counting Coins
She exited the donut shop with a bagel and coffee to find Chris picking up coins off the street. He made about $1 from doing this. Approaching him, she handed over the treat. Then, they started talking…
Chris’s Story
Sitting beside Chris, he began to share his story. Due to his homelessness, people were often very mean to him. They’d go so far as to ignore or even berate him. This upset Casey, but his past was even harder to hear…
A Haunted Past
Chris had lost everything when he gave himself over to drug addiction. Once he hit such a low, he couldn’t get back on his feet and had to resort to sleeping on the streets. But what about his family?
A Tragic Loss
He couldn’t turn to loved ones, because he didn’t have any. He never knew his father, and his mother had died a few years prior due to cancer. He wanted to make her proud, but he didn’t know how…
Talking It Out
The two talked for a long time, almost the whole morning. They chatted about Chris’s life, his dreams, his past, and his future. She noticed that at one point, he took out a crumpled piece of paper…
The Write Stuff
He scribbled something quickly on the paper, which Casey thought was strange, but she didn’t say anything. She wouldn’t find out what the note said until later…
Reading the Note
As she left, he handed her the note he wrote earlier. On it, he had written “I wanted to kill myself today. Because of you I now do not. Thank you, beautiful person.” Casey was speechless…
Moving On
After the life-changing note, Casey went to class. She couldn’t believe what had happened, and she was eager to share her story with Chris. Everyone had to know about this amazing man…
Feelings on Facebook
She decided to post the story online. She put the tale on the Facebook page “Love What Matters” and the comments quickly began rolling in…
The Comments Section
Everyone wanted to weigh in on the story. Some shared their own homelessness stories, others just wanted to give their praise and support of Casey’s kindness. The story isn’t the only one of it’s kind…
Meeting Pete Buchmann
Pete was homeless for a long time. After losing his construction job in 2014, he was unable to pay rent and was forced to live on the streets. Not everyone was so okay with the move…
Buster or Bust
Also living with Pete was his 9-year-old dog, Buster. He and Buster were making ends meet, but just barely. Camping out was wearing on the duo, and soon they needed an intervention…
Buster’s Bumps
Buster had arthritis, and Pete had to help him fast. He brought the ailing pup to the local shelter, Faithful Friends Animal Society in Wilmington, Delaware. They were happy to help, but Buchmann was struggling…
Always Around
Buchmann understood he had to leave his furry friend, but he was unwilling to let go. He decided to walk around and eventually stumbled upon a homeless shelter. He stayed there, and he didn’t forget about Buster…
Going the Distance
Every day, rain or shine, Buchmann walked the 5 miles between the two locations to visit his beloved dog. He began to really bond with the people at the animal shelter…
Volunteering His Time
Though he couldn’t take care of his sick dog, he certainly cared. He wanted to thank the shelter for their service by volunteering 2-3 hours a day walking his own dog as well as the others. His story was just getting started…
News Spreads
A local news station heard about Buchmann’s story and put him on the air. He told his story of homelessness to the camera. It was not long until others started to show their support…
Well Wishes
Many people offered Buchmann support and more. One man gave him a free truck, another gave him 6 months of free rent, donations gave him $32,000 and a local fire security company gave him a job! Everything was falling into place, or so he thought…
Bye Bye Buster
Unfortunately, Buster wasn’t able to last much longer, and he passed away while living in the shelter. Buchmann was devastated, but he continued volunteering his time and money to the shelter. He’d be forever in debt…
Moving On
Though his heart was broken, he tried to move on, and recognize the kindness he’d been given. “Faithful Friends helped me save my faithful friend, I’ll be grateful forever,” he said of the memory. Now there was only room to grow…
Making New Friends
Since Buchmann was still an active volunteer, the staff asked Buchmann if he’d consider fostering a dog that was “unadoptable” due to its near-constant barking. Buchmann accepted the challenge…
Meeting Mateo
Matteo was known as a “reactive” dog. He was not born bad, but rather drastically mistreated and abused for years. No one in the shelter but Buchmann could handle him…
Matteo’s Story
The dog, aged somewhere between 7 to 9, was constantly overlooked in the kennel due to his fat and stocky nature. He also showed an aversion to women. But why?
A Life-Changing Rescue
The dog was found in a house with 6 other dogs, all in crates too small to hold them. The owner reportedly had several mental health issues, and the dogs suffered in their care…
Bonding With Buchmann
After a few walks around the shelter grounds, Buchmann decided to take the pup for the weekend. The weekend quickly turned into something bigger than himself…
Training Wheels
Matteo joined Buchmann at home for good, calling Peter’s house his forever home. Training began, and it wasn’t long until Batteo was a totally new dog…
A New Dog
Matteo no longer barked at anything that moved (just the vacuum cleaner). Also, with some time and love, he learned to get over the aversion of women. He was a totally reformed dog!
Looking Back
Reflecting on his lifetime, Buchmann remembers his first faithful friend. “Even when I was homeless, I was at peace. I always say Buster is the one that got me here.” And for that, he’s forever grateful.