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Heroes come in many sizes, shapes and colors. You have to look closely sometimes, and open your heart.

On a dark rainy October afternoon two years ago, a bedraggled and wrinkled man struggled up 17 stairs at the Food Bank and stood trembling and wet, waiting for me to acknowledge him.

I said "Hi". I'm sorry that our food bank is closed just now. Do you need something? Can I give you a dry coat, or something to tide you over?

The man was very nervous,fidgeting, hopping from one foot to the other. In a soft voice he told me that he had something for the food bank children.

I looked at him closely, knowing he was homeless and destitute. No socks, ripped pants, wet shirt clinging to his skinny frame, long black hair ragged, I wondered what he could possibly have to give to the children. It had been a long time between a shower and shave for him.

His dark brown eyes held mine as he reached inside his shirt and drew out an envelope, folded many times. His hand shaking, he leaned over the desk and held out the folded bulky envelope to me. He placed it in my hand. "Please, he said, This is for the children."

"Here is half of everything I have in the world. You don't tell anyone where donations come from do you? "No", I said, "We keep it confidential.Unless you tell someone, no one will know."

"Well that's good" he said, "'because I would be dead on the streets if the guys knew I was giving you this."

Shocked, I looked at the envelope and saw a thick wad of folded $20 dollar bills. "What do you mean?" I asked, "You would be dead on the streets if they knew what you were giving us".
Everyone gets a share of what we have. If the guys knew I was giving this to you, I'd get beaten at the least.

"Where did you get this money, anyway?" I asked, worried now.

" I won it,on a scratch ticket, and I'm bringing you half to feed the babies and children so they don't end up like me."

As a hungry child, food banks had been a part of his experience for a long time.

In and out of prisons all his life, abused as a child, hungry for what life offered others, this impoverished man stood before me, with half of everything he owned in the world to help the hungry babies and children in our city. His stature small, this man was reaching out to help others less fortunate than himself, the hungry children.

My eyes filled with tears as I realized the enormity of his gift, unconditionally given, to help vulnerable babies and children.

Had I ever seen such generosity? Many people talk about giving, but few would ever consider 50% of everything they own. This was a first for me. I really didn't know what to say in the moment. I stuttered out a thank you, and he told me that he knew I would use it for the babies, he trusted me to do that.

Embarrassed, he looked away quickly, and in that moment I saw the true measure of this homeless person shine through the layers of his misfortune and poverty, to reveal a beautiful man, a community hero. The air sparkled with the magic of the moment.

Selflessly, he had given half of everything to the food bank to feed the babies and the children he saw lining up for food. I thought, what would our world look like if we all followed his example?

Can I shake your hand?, I said? Please? We shook hands, and he left with a shy smile, clattering down the stairs. Heroes come in many sizes, shapes and colors.

Learn more about this author, Margret Carswell.
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