Starving 59-YO Posts Note At His Gate, Pleading For Food, Help Pours In From Strangers

One never knows what life has in store for us. At one point we are at the top of the world, living our best life and on the other, we are just surviving on a bowl of soup with bare minimum facilities. Well, that’s when we turn to people to seek their help and support. Sometimes it’s our family members who help us rise from a vulnerable situation and sometimes it’s stranger that unexpectedly lend support.

A 59-year-old, former Boots factory worker from Nottingham was probably going through the worst phase of his life. Unable to eat a decent meal, living in complete darkness and bearing the bone-chilling weather with minimum clothes, William decided to beg for help. William who lives alone decided to put a handwritten note on his garden gate asking for help from strangers after exhausting the little funds he could gather by selling his belongings reported Mirror.

But humanity isn’t dead yet. William who had been starving was overwhelmed by the kind of help he received after he placed the note outside his house. Craig Crawford, a businessman from Nottingham who also arranges ‘Christmas campaign’ for donations of food, toys and furniture, came to his rescue.

Crawford, 35, who lives about ten minutes was from the man was quick to spot his note and decided to pay him a visit. “His house was freezing. It was colder inside than it was outside. He was wearing a coat, hat and gloves. He hadn’t eaten in four days apart from some biscuits. I don’t think he’d have lasted until Monday and that is the sad reality. With no food, you get weak and ill. That notice might have saved his life,” he said.

Within hours, William was able to receive enough help and donations from food banks and other sources.”He was in a dire situation. His last desperate act was to put a sign on the gate. The guy could have died within three days if people didn’t take action. The poor bloke had nothing, no one. He never claimed a single penny in benefits. He sold his own stuff from home to keep going,” said Crawford.

His plea for help was also shared on Facebook and an appeal was made to people to help him get back to his feet. And surprisingly, the online appeal helped him to raise £2,500 (Rs.2.35 lakh approx.) within a day, said sources.

“This is social media at its best to get the community rallying,” said Meryl Whittington, who came to know about the man through a Facebook group.

William who quit his job after his mother died was delighted to receive so much help from strangers. “I put the sign up on polling day and I thought people going up and down the street might bring me a couple of cans of beans. I don’t want to bring politics into it – it was my own doing. I just want to say a big thank you to everyone.”

William who was too proud to claim benefits had been surviving for the past eight years by selling his furniture and other belongings. “I am one of those people who don’t want to (claim benefits). I want to make my own way. There are other people who need it more than me,” he said.

In the world of social media, we are friends with hundreds of unknown people but we hardly know the person living next to us, right? Wouldn’t it be great just to check on your neighbours and friends once in a while? It might save a life as it happened in this case.