A homeless man seeking shelter in a dumpster was nearly killed when he was tossed into a trash truck and compacted. The York County trash company, Republic Services, and the driver who found the man, delivered a surprise Wednesday to lift the man’s spirits.
Cold Spell
It’s an important reminder of what can can happen as the temperatures drop.
Front Load Operator with Republic Services had just finished emptying a dumpster into his trash truck. As he started compacting the trash he heard a noise. A homeless man, who had been seeking shelter from the cold, had been thrown from the dumpster into the truck.
“I was awake. I was just trying to climb out and before I knew it I felt pressure. It was getting worse and worse. I started yelling,” said the man who did not want to be identified because of his situation. He says he is thankful to be alive after nearly being crushed to death. “I just can’t even explain it. I thank my lucky stars and God everyday.”
The man now has a place to stay and a job. But, he suffered another setback before things got better. While living on the streets most of his belongings were stolen. When Rife heard of his situation he went to his manager to see if the company had an extra book bag.
Surprise
"When I explained this to the company they were very moved, and decided to put together a care package just to help him back on his feet," said Rife.
Operations Manager Anthony Spirito wanted to help. He put together a dufflebag full of items to help keep the man warm including a coat, socks, gloves, a thermos and even grocery gift cards.
Wednesday Jim and Anthony anxiously walked through the man's place of work. As they spotted him he instantly recognized Jim and lit up with excitement.
"Thank you, this is so awesome," exclaimed the man as they revealed the contents of the bag. "It's nice, it's like Christmas. Things are just picking up, hope is back."
