Talia DeLeon came back to find help for someone in need.
She faced a situation on Sunday that most of us encounter at some point or another, in various shapes and forms. Do you simply pass by, and hope someone who follows will take care of the emergency? Or will you be the one?
The tiny woman, up in years, was huddled on a bench, out Bay Road in the Home Depot shopping plaza behind Culver’s and Aldi’s. Talia had seen her several times earlier in the fall, pushing the shopping cart that contained her possessions. But now, as dusk approached to close the Thanksgiving weekend, it was more like winter.
For shoppers, falling wet snow may have represented the beauty of the holiday season. But for Pamela, as she later identified herself, it was a nightmare. Her hair was matted and wet, and her gloves were soaked.
Today Pam is warm and toasty in a donated hotel room, with a full tummy and a place to sleep, while local agencies begin work so that the homeless scenario does not repeat. But her fate could have been tragic.
Talia, a mother to three and grandmother to one, has not sought recognition for her good deed. Her simple message, when asked: If we see someone in need, stop. Or at least call 911 or 211 to respond, which she didn’t immediately consider Sunday in the spur of the moment. Stop and take action, if we possibly can.
“I’ve always been someone who will try to help, and will even give a panhandler something now and then,” she explains. “But with this woman, it was different. She was totally helpless, and I felt something. I started crying when I introduced myself, and she started crying too. She said she had been sleeping on the concrete, but she had no idea the weather would become this cold this soon.”
Bottom line, Talia felt the messages of outreach and good works from her co-pastors at Radiant Church of God, Adolfo and Erlinda Martinez, and from her parents who volunteer with the Mexican American Council, Bobby and Irma DeLeon.
Her truck was full of holiday and household goods, but still she asked her fiance, Jeremiah Gallardo, to pull over and allow her to check things out. And then:
- She traded her dry gloves for the wet ones, and found some hot coffee and chicken soup at the nearby Tim Hortons. After returning home and unloading, she informed Jeremiah, “I’ve got to go back out there.” But first she posted a Facebook plea for help, and noted the location.
- Cash ap donations began rolling in while she headed back out past Bay and Tittabawasee. Gifts were two dollars here, 20 there, reaching a total of more than $200, including a $25 gift card from a passerby who had seen her social media note. Furthermore, a gentleman who ID’d himself only as “John,” one of several to come to the scene, made arrangements for a week at the motel where Pamela is recuperating. He once had been homeless himself, John explained
- The woman’s soaked clothes and coats are being washed and dried, a chore in itself.
- With a day off on Monday from her employment at Riverfront Eye Care, Talia did some shopping for her new friend — a nightgown, some new socks, some Diet Cokes, and orange chicken from the Panda Express down the road. They talked, but that’s personal between them. Needless to say, events and occasions through Pamela’s 67 years have not been favorable.
But she has more time to go, thanks to someone who stopped.
“She told me she knew I was coming back,” Talia said. “Nobody should put themselves in danger, but we have mental health issues in our community from people like Pamela who are no threat to anyone. I learned that if we ask for help, there are all sorts of good people and resources that we can get a hold of. This has really opened my eyes.”
