February 17, 2026 • 30 mins
“Two local residents show up day after day, making sure that Harrisburg’s homeless are fed, supported, and reminded that they matter.”
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hi, I'm Sylvia Moss, and this is Insight, a presentation
of iHeartMedia, where we really do care about our local
communities and all of our listeners who live here. You know, lately,
I've been thinking a lot about America. So many of
us grew up in the one that, at its best
was built on caring. Not just the big historic moments
that we all learn about in school, but the small,
(00:21):
everyday ones that never make it to any textbook. Neighbors
helping neighbors, communities lifting each other up, people choosing compassion
even when it wasn't the easy thing to do. That
spirit of understanding, respect and kindness. That's who we believe
ourselves to be. And I'll be honest, sometimes I hear
people say, why don't we care enough to at least
listen to each other even if we don't agree. Well,
(00:43):
maybe it's because somewhere along the way the volume got
turned up on everything except compassion, personal responsibility, and mutual respect. Meanwhile,
real life is happening outside our front doors, hunger and
homelessness or hitting communities pretty darn hard. Families working full
time job are still struggling to put foot on the table.
Housing costs are pushing people into shelterers, cars and even tents.
(01:07):
We know about that in Harrisburg, and it's the folks
who are already vulnerable, kids, older adults, vets, people with disabilities.
Those are the ones that are feeling at the most
and right here in home. Harrisburg's homeless community has been
through an incredibly tough stretch the past couple of years,
with constant relocations, brutal weather, and a whole community of uncertainty.
(01:27):
But through it all they've been able to count on
an amazing local man who has shown up day after day,
year after year. He made sure people who are hungry
and homeless are fed, supported, and most importantly, he reminded
them that they matter. The thing is, he doesn't represent
some big time nonprofit, but he does refuse the literary.
(01:49):
He was not fall through the cracks. Today you're going
to meet this guy. He is the personification of that
spirit of understanding, respecting kindness that we love about American
Let me introduce you to my buddy, chef Tom Eljott.
Tom's dedication of feeding and uplifting the hungary and homes
three hundred and sixty five days years all part of
his personal mission when we're gonna find out exactly why
(02:12):
this happened to him, why he does what he does,
and he prepares and serves restaurant quality meals and often
fund seeing ingredients right out of his pocket. So Tom,
we got a lot of talk about today. First of all,
how long are you doing this for a while?
Speaker 2 (02:28):
Huh, yeah, I have I been had. I had a
little diner in Harrisburg on Third three across from the museum,
and the homeless guys would come there. It was about
nineteen eighty one and eighty one, eighty two eighty three
through the mid eighties, and they would panhandle out front.
(02:49):
I asked him not to do that because people would
be afraid to come in then. But I told him
to go around the back, knock on the door two times,
and I had a little table in there, and they
can come in and they can have whatever they want.
I fed them and gave him coffee and stuff talk,
and then out and bring a couple more guys in.
So I'd just been doing it my whole entire life.
I would get onto the daily bread through the nineties
(03:09):
and when they needed a chef in the back to cook.
And when I retired it was just gave me an
opportunity to do it more. I finished my business, you knows,
as a car dealer. I had car dealerships, I had
a car wash, I had real estate, I had a
did catering, I had the lunch truck. And you know,
(03:31):
you work about twelve hours a day. So when I
sold my business in two thousand and one and I
had nothing to do, I was around the house working
doing things I was and she actually said that I
painted a wall, did something else, cut the grass. I said.
I kept bugging her, what do you want for dinner tonight?
What do you want for lunch? She said, listen, you're
(03:53):
getting flat out on my last nerves and get a job.
If you don't get a job or do something, I'm
taking off. So anyways, I went. I went down the
Hershey Hotel and a Hershey conveg center. I got a job,
but you know, I declined it because I didn't want
to work another fifty hours a week, even though the
pay was excellent, I really didn't want to. And uh
so I just decided I was going to just feed
(04:14):
the homeless full time and work for my church as
a as a volunteer in the kitchen at Christ Community.
It's a beautiful church, and I enjoy serving the people there,
and you know, the extra food. I take down the
old Tent City and I'd set up a table and
feed the guys and it just became so exciting, and
they look forward so much to my meals and stuff.
(04:35):
And you know, being a chef that makes uh, top
notch meals, restaurant quality meals all my life, I wasn't
going to tone it down just because it's free. So
I'm bringing food down there that you would serve in
any diner or any any quality restaurant. And the people
realize it, and you know, they come running when when
(04:55):
I pull up and they hear my truck. So, yeah,
it's been it's been quite a quite a lot of fun.
It's something I got so much passion for. I look
forward to it. I go down probably like twice a
week the new tent City that you have to be.
They take one caterer per day, so the men.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
And where is that.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
It's at eleven eighty four South Cameron Rear. It's right
behind there's a little tire store called Pens Auto. It's
right behind there. It's probably the size of a football
field maybe a little bigger, and they have ninety tenths.
They're set up and it's actually it's a little bit
different than the old tent city. The old tent city
(05:36):
was the wild wild West, where almost anything went on.
People would bring food down there that was spoiled and
the guys folks would eat it and they would get
stomach food poisonings and so forth. So now you've got
to be you know, you got to be a licensed
caterer with some training, so you know, you bring stuff
down that you know, it's quality stuff. So one meal
(05:58):
a day, one caterer per day. And then they have
little buildings set up there with warmers in it, you know,
little ovens and stuff where microwaves where they can heat
stuff up, Like if they get a snack or something,
they can heat it up in there. So that's what
they eat the rest of the day. So they have bathrooms.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
Excuse me a second. Who are these people? Are they typically?
I mean, we have that wonderful place for vets here,
but are they older people, younger people? Families?
Speaker 2 (06:26):
Yeah, the residents attention.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
Yeah, the New Way.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
Yeah, it's called a miracle for sure.
Speaker 1 (06:31):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
The company. Yeah, so it's run by two amazing people,
the white family. They're they're fantastic people, very loving and kind,
and that's not an easy job to deal with. Ninety
homeless people there feel pretty entitled, you know. But anyways,
there's no kids there. They don't permit kids. But there
(06:54):
was people in there that's seventy eighty years old, and
then there's people in there that are teenagers, like nineteen eighteen, nineteen,
so uh, and then everything in between. Women. Men.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
Do they ever give you any like typical? Are there
any typical stories of the people all the time?
Speaker 2 (07:11):
All the time? I remember this one fella. He h.
He just got there and I asked him, you know, once,
once I feed him and I show him that I
love them and care about him, they open up and
share with me their stories and stuff. And he he
was in Millersburg, which is probably he walked down from Millersburg.
(07:31):
He got behind on him, he got lost a job,
got behind two months, he got evicted. He was carrying
his belongings in a little garbage bag, and he walked
down from Millersburg. I said, man, it took him two days.
He slept on the side of the road in the
woods and came down and they gave him a ten.
He parked hisself there. But uh, you know that guy
(07:53):
actually was a hard worker to bus bus stops right there.
He got a job worked on, you know, got his bus,
got on the bus, he ended up getting howls. He
got a little apartment. I'm going to tell you something
about the greater Harrisburg area. This place is full of
beautiful human being. And I'm telling you when I put
that note on there that the men are freezing, is
there any chance we can help me get some I
(08:15):
bought thirty little propane heaters. The cost of them were
thirty bucks each. That was like nine hundred bucks that
they sent to me, and I was able to buy
the heaters. We need probably about two hundred dollars worth
of propane. Every week, they've been sending me a little
bits and pieces of funding here and there to buy that.
When we had our last storm two three weeks ago,
(08:37):
when we got that foot of snow, what happened was
anybody that wanted to go to a warming center and
went there was probably a third of the people went,
and then the other two thirds stayed there because they
had either had animals or they had belongings. They didn't
want to get stolen. They stayed there and as the
snow came down, they brushed the snow off. With the
(08:58):
third of the people that didn't go, their tents collapse.
You know, the snow was so heavy and they weren't
rebuildable because they were so cheap with the aluminum. They
just bent up. It was the tents were junk. I
went online. These tents are four hundred each, you know.
You know, people had sent me through Amazon like eight
(09:18):
tenths at four hundred dollars apiece. I just love the
people so much I was able to put money out
of my own into.
Speaker 1 (09:26):
It that a lot.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
Oh yeah, buy some more. The food each week costs
about five hundred even though chefs know how to cook,
and you know, you can feed one hundred people for
a hundred bucks if you want to give them, you know,
potato soup. But I want to give them something that's
you know, I want to give them a nice, my
world class meat low for you know, I want to
give them lasagna. So we cooked real good for them
(09:48):
and they deserve it too, because they're living a hard
life and they need quality vegetables. You know, where they
can put something good in their system. I bring a
hair beautition with me, put their chair up and cuts
the guy's hair, so it makes them feel like, you know,
they're clean and they're they're special. I have a lady
that's a vet tech. A lot of them have dogs,
(10:10):
whether it's for like their needs as a as a
you know, a kinkpanion, or if it's just to have
a dog, or maybe they just found a dog running
around and they that was homeless and they wanted to
be homeless together in their tents. So about a third
of them have animals, and we bring dog food down,
so so we give them a bag each of dog food.
(10:32):
Cats some have cats, and then I bring a vet
tech down and they clip their nails and shine their
nails up and cut their little hair that they need
trimmed up. The vet techs really sweet local lady from
a veteran veterinarian clinic here in town. So I'm telling
you why. There's just I love Harrisburg so much, the
beautiful people. I'm gonna have this summer. I'm gonna have
(10:55):
a huge picnic at my house and I'm gonna cook ribs.
I'm gonna cook small Burger's. I'm gonna get my all
my equipment out and I'm going to cook the best
little world Day weekend picnic for all these beautiful people
in the Harrisburg area that supported me. And the volunteers
that come down. You know, I get about fifteen to
(11:15):
twenty volunteers that come down and work on the food
line to dish out the food. Make sure they got
a nice container to put in their stuff. They're taking
the haircutter, the vet tech we have. We bring down
clothes for them, no nice sock. So I'm just grateful
to God giving me this opportunity. We'll do this.
Speaker 1 (11:35):
Tell our listeners a story about what happened to you.
Speaker 2 (11:39):
How I got started with God ninety one in the
I'm in My life's dream is coming to happen. I'm
a young kid from Stelton. I wasn't real smart. I
graduated like one hundred and twenty three out of one
hundred and twenty five, and I beat out two special
needs kids. Oh stop, no, I did for real? Okaytra
(12:03):
I had add They didn't know what it was. They
thought it was just a goof off. So luckily, if
it wasn't for the geek geeky kids that I protected
from the bullies, and they did my homework. I would
have never passed, but I did so. A kid with
no education, no no influential people, no money, no nothing,
you know, ninety one, I just just from true grit
(12:23):
and true faith in myself and and hard, hard, hard
work and taking chances that worked. I'm running a multi
million dollar company, a couple of car lots. The catering
business is booked out a year, and I'm feeling sick.
For a month. I couldn't get out. And I never
get sick. I couldn't get over this flu bug. I
(12:45):
started feeling when I shower and I felt under my arms.
I had some lumps in there. That was weird. I
thought I just hurt myself playing softball. But I ended
up in the Holy Spirit Hospital, and uh, I'm in
the oncologist's office and his name was Jock, doctor John Conroy.
He said, son, I hate to tell you this, but
you got stage four cancers in your bones. I was
(13:06):
thirty seven. I have two little boys. And he said
he said, uh. He said, I'm gonna give you the
strongest shot of chemo. I got that. We got it.
It's available and I want you to go home. Tell
your family you're probably not gonna make it. He said,
get your affairs in order. So I drove. I never
forget driving him back across the south Bridge. I'm in
(13:27):
my Mercedes. I just wanted to drive off and end
my life. And I thought about it. That would hurt
my mom too bad. I said, I got two little boys.
I said, my only hope was God. And I know
I wasn't living good for God. I was Catholic kind of.
I went to church Christmas Eve gassed up, So you know,
I really wasn't a good person for God. I loved.
(13:49):
I knew God was a would be able to heal me.
I knew that I didn't have nothing against God, but
I didn't think God would want to do anything for me.
I didn't do anything for him, so I didn't know God.
I got home and I said, but I'll give it
a shot anyway. I remember on my floor, I was
pounding my floor telling him God, I screwed up. I
said another word, but I screwed up my life God,
(14:11):
I said, all I want is an opportunity to do
things over. And I promise I'll I won't let you down.
I'll be your best servant ever got up. I still
had tumors, I was still sick, I figured, but I
felt something change inside me. I wasn't sure what it was,
but I really had this desire to live. It just
got me so excited to live. And I went back
(14:33):
to doctor John's the week later for another shot a chemo.
And when you go into an oncologist's office, first thing
I do is blood pressure way and they take ten
tubes of blood, maybe twenty. I don't have a lot
of blood go into their lab. I'm in there getting
my chemo and doctor John comes running out like he's
seen a ghost. His eyes was as big as golf balls,
and he says, what have you been doing differently? And
(14:55):
I always told doctor John to talk to me like
in like ghetto terms, because I don't understand all that
doctor talk, he says. Son, he said, I don't understand it.
But your red blood cells they should be dying with
that shot of chemo, but they're they're getting stronger. It
doesn't make it doesn't make scientific sense, he said. And
then then white blood cells. It's like a pack of
(15:17):
angry wolves are attacking that thing. He said, you're getting
better keep it up. So, uh, long story short, Sylvia.
Four months later, it was that was around Christmases, around Easter.
He gave me a pet scan from top to bottom
and he says, I, I can't explain it, he said,
he said, he said, you're you're better and I can't
(15:38):
even see scar tissue. It's like you never had cancer.
He said, I'm stamping your record, devine intervention. He stamped it,
and I got the record. So I knew God did
something for me now. I wanted to do something for
God now. And see, like I said, I didn't know God.
I didn't even know how to serve him. I said,
I'm gonna quit, quit my job, quit the business. I'm
(15:59):
gonna be a pre or, a pastor. I guess. I
went to see a priest, told him my story, he says.
He says, Tom, I know you. He said, you're not
pastor material in a church. He said, you know you
got a checkered past. You you can't can't hardly read,
he said, he said, but listen, he said, here's the thing.
He said, My pulpit is in the church. That's what
(16:21):
God got from me. Your pulpit is behind a grill
and you're gonna be. I can see you in homeless camps,
I can see you in drug rehab centers, I can
see you in car garages. You know, serving people, and
that's how you serve God by serving people. And you know,
that made so much sense to me, that priest that
told me that it made all the sense in the
(16:43):
world because it's in the Bible we serve God by
serving others. So I dedicated myself to serving others. And
from that point on, I went right down to the
daily bread and I started making breakfast for the men
at four thirty in the morning, and then it just
went to the Bethesda, and then I started doing my
own feeding rep the guys, and it just in my
(17:07):
car lot. I had a I've developed a little thing
called car Helpers, where I would take all my inexpensive
cars and put new tires on them, get him inspected,
and I would donate them to single moms or people
that were hurting that needed cars. Come in with a
car that needed five thousand dollars worth of work, and
the car's worth a hundred bucks. I said, look, you're
just getting another car for free. You can't afford one here,
(17:30):
So we'd give hundreds of cars out over the car
dealership and I don't know, just things like that. We
build an ice cream truck and it was called the
Harrisburg Church on wheels. So for four years I'd take
it out and go into the cities and I'd lay
out of tarp and we'd play games with the kids
that all come running by and give them a little
Bible message and then I'd give them free ice cream
(17:51):
if they were good, and they sat there and listened
to the message. So over ten thousand kids over the
four years that I did that turned their life over
to Christ. So on stuff like that through but all
my ministry work. When I needed money for it, I
never had the fundraise. I just wrote a check because
we had plenty of money. So when I retired, uh,
you know, I started doing it and now I kind
(18:11):
of used up all my savings. The plan actually was,
to be honest with you, the plan was to uh
do like all the other rich businessmen, is to go
to Florida and buy a beach house and sip martiniz
and watch the sunset. But you know, God was like
hitting me. It was like, would you consider my plan
for your future?
Speaker 1 (18:29):
But you love that you thrive on it.
Speaker 2 (18:31):
I do.
Speaker 1 (18:31):
I do better than going down Florida.
Speaker 2 (18:33):
Well I know that now. I thought Florida would be better.
But you know, when God, God spoke to my heart
one night I had a dream, he says, uh, would
you consider my plan, and that's use your money and
feed the people. And I said absolutely, if it's God's plan,
he don't make mistakes. And he was exactly right. Four
years ago, at after COVID, I had my one last
(18:55):
big profit after COVID. I bought a whole bunch of
cars when everybody thought the ceiling was falling in, and
then I sold them when the car market came back
four months later and made such money, so I sold it.
And I still really wasn't sure how I was gonna,
you know, do this. And I'm getting on my waist
nerves asking her what she wants for dinner and what
(19:15):
do you want me to do next? She said, get
a job or something. So I went down to Hershey
and you know, got a job, but I didn't take
it because I didn't think that was what God would
want me to do, work another sixty hour week, So
I canceled that. I started working at my church doing
volunteer cooking there. And then I started going down with
the extra food to Tent City and I fell in
(19:36):
love with the people, and so that's how I got
started in it. Now I go down. Last year I
fed fifteen thousand people get I went on my daytimer
and added it up just out of curiosity. I was
waiting for something to finish in the oven and I
had an extra hour to waste standing there, and I
added it up and it was pretty amazing. And I'm
so grateful to my volunteers who come every week, cold hot,
(20:02):
they come and they just help me serve, help me
set up. I'm so grateful to this. As I said,
I can't say enough thank you to the greater people
of Harrisburg that have donated out of their pockets. You know,
they gave me four hundred beautiful used coats that I
gave out to the people. You know, some people come
to ten City. I give them a coat and then
(20:22):
they you know, they either get howls or they you know,
go elsewhere, move somewhere, or the family takes them back.
And then you know, four more people come in. So
you know, it's like you can't give a coat and
then not give another coat, like those twenty tenths that
fell in. All their belongings got ruined, so we had
to go out and get them new you know, coats
(20:43):
and blankets and things. So, as I said, I'm just
so grateful. I have ladies at their churches all over,
probably about twenty different ladies at twenty different churches that
have a clothing fund for Chef Tom, and they throw
their come every Sunday, they throw a blank in or
a coat she brings on my go pick them up.
I have my truck loaded up. I'm so glad I
(21:05):
got a truck. You know. It was just like I
never had a truck for myself. And I'm saying, my
wife said, what do you get a truck for? I said,
I don't know. I just feel like I need to
have a truck, you know. So luckily I have that
thing full. All my equipment fits in there. I take
a deep fryer, flat top, some warmers and stuff down.
When I go, I set up. I cook for them there.
(21:25):
Sometimes sometimes I bring cooked food, but sometimes I'll cook
there for him. They love that, like they just feel
so special. You know.
Speaker 1 (21:33):
Let me ask you this is really important. Excuse me
when I go out and talk to different people, whether
it's my friends, people I mean, or whomever, and I
start talking about it some of the issues. People don't
want to believe this goes on in Harrisburg. What would
you say to them.
Speaker 2 (21:49):
I say, come along with me some Wednesday night and
let's serve together.
Speaker 1 (21:53):
Are you surprised by it from when you start doing it?
The people in this area need help.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
Yeah, it is shocking. It is shocking. But uh, you know,
the news and the public and the media is making
things more. No, if you say ten City, they know
where it is.
Speaker 1 (22:11):
You.
Speaker 2 (22:12):
I mean, it's getting more on the you know. I
guess you can go home to your beautiful home in
camp Hill and shut the door and lock it, turn
your alarm system on and be uh, you know, blind
to it if you want. I'm assuming. But for me,
when I'm in my little bed I live in lewis Berry.
It's just a little house. And but when I hear
that wind blowing, I think about my friends down there
(22:34):
because they only got a little tiny eighth inch piece
of cloth keeping them from it. I got I got
bricks and wood, you know, And I think, like, man,
this that's just ain't right. But you know, that's why
I work so hard for him, and that's why I
don't care how dirty they are there getting a big hug.
Speaker 1 (22:52):
Well you shore that story about the gentleman you took
a bottom got them.
Speaker 2 (22:57):
Yeah, well there was a guy. I got hundred and
hundreds of stories. Been doing this full time for about
four years, and been doing it for thirty years part
time when I worked in my business. But uh, this
one one fella. He he walked from Millersburg all the
way down and I'm thinking, like Millersburg, I mean like
an hour away driving. He said, yeah, it took two days.
(23:18):
I lost my job, got two months behind on my rent.
I got evicted. He he had a trash bag of
stuff and he brought it down there and he had
food poisonings. It was at the old place, and he
had an accident in his pants. He was all stinky
and nasty, and I said, man, there's no showers down
(23:39):
there nowhere really to wash the rivers as dirty as
you know, you know, as he was, so I said,
come on, man, you're getting in my truck. We're going
to get a hotel. I'm gonna I'm gonna get you
a nice shower. And he was like, no, chef, I
don't want to sit in your chair. He said, sit
in the chair man. He's because he's, you know, had
an accident. I said, now sit in the chair man.
I I'm a detailed man. I've been detailing cars for
(24:02):
thirty years. I'm fine, let's go. And so got him
out there while he showering. I ran over and got
in my new clothes at Walmart, and the guy ended
up sending me a text. I took him back and
set his tent up for him and got him a blanket.
He said. You know, chef, he said, I'm working now,
he said, and I owe it to you man, for
(24:23):
I was wondering, you know, for a long time, I
wondered if you were a real human being or you
were like God dressed up like a human being, because
who would hug a guy that's full of crap and
let him sit in a brand new truck? He said?
He said that that inspired me to become better, and
I got a job. I'm housed now, and I'll never
(24:44):
forget what you said.
Speaker 1 (24:45):
The text that.
Speaker 2 (24:48):
Was a text from somebody else?
Speaker 1 (24:49):
Would you mind reading the text from someone else?
Speaker 2 (24:52):
This was another lady that this is remarkable. Yeah, I
might get emotional. Is that all right?
Speaker 1 (24:58):
Of course I just slapped year or something, Yes, ma'am
like that. I'm just blown away by what you do.
I think is I met you a couple of years
ago when you came in with your sister.
Speaker 2 (25:10):
Yeah, for the chili cook the chili cook off. Yeah,
so this lady said, She said, I don't know if
you remember me or not. I used to live in
ten City, and I made it out exclamation. You were
so kind to us. You never judged any of us.
You always made us feel like we were worth it
and well fed and had some eat food even to
take back to our little homes. Quote. But you were
(25:31):
extra kind to me. You brought me. She she When
she got there, it was her first day there, and
what had happened was there was this nice looking, little
petit lady in the corner crying, and you know that's
not unusual. As I went over and I said, hey,
what's the matter, And I said, so we got to talk,
and she said her her abusive husband. She left and
(25:53):
went to her parents' house. She's about in her twenties
and her parents didn't have any room where they were
staying they had no room for her. So her believe
it or not, her dad drops her off at ten
sid with her little bit of bag of belongings and
her abusive person had her dog tied up to the
telephone pole down the street, just left him there to die.
(26:14):
And so anyways, she said, she said, but you were
extra kind to me. You brought me to get my
dog and my belongings, and for that, I'd be forever grateful.
I asked her, what could I do within reason? You know, yeah,
everybody wants a new Ferrari, But what can I do
for you within reason? She said, all I want you
(26:35):
to do is take me to get my dog and
my little bit of belongings. They are thrown out in
the yard. So anyways, it was way out in Dilsburg.
It was like an hour away, and I pull up
and this huge dude comes out, and I think, dear God,
what did I get myself into? And he starts, you know,
being aggressive with her, and I said, that ain't gonna happen.
I'm seventy, you know, my fighting days are gone. I
(26:57):
can't be punched. So I went over. I looked at him,
I said, listen, we're just going to get our stuff.
I prayed, first of all, Dear God, help me. So
I went out and I said, listen, we're just going
to get our stuff, get the dog, and you'll never
see her or me again. And the guy just calmed
down immediately. I mean, the power of God must have
hit him somehow, because that's all I can say. This
(27:19):
guy had crazy eyes. You ever see people like that?
And he was way bigger than me, And there was
no way I wanted to fight with this guy. And
he just calmed right down. He says, okay, and he
walks back in the house. Thank you Lord. So we
get the dog and we put him in the car
and we head on down. So she said, that's what
I'll be forever grateful for. You always said I deserve better,
(27:42):
and I wanted to show you that I made it out.
I made it out with my life exclamation. I'm seven
months sober now and I'm doing good. I'm going to school.
There are very few people who came there and to serve,
who did it genuinely, and you were one of them.
People would run through the world and shouting chef Thom
is here and would off lock not because the food
(28:06):
was so amazing but your heart was amazing. I can't
speak for anyone in the new camp because I wasn't there,
but at the old camp, we always appreciated everything you did.
But I will especially never forget the kindness and true,
unconditional love you showed me. If it wasn't for the
few volunteers like you kept telling me I was worth
(28:26):
it more and more, I would never have done when
I had the strength to stay sober like I am.
There are three of you that played a significant role
in helping me crawl out of some of the darkest
days I ever had and find the light again. Without
your constant support and encouragement, I can't imagine, nor do
I ever want to imagine where I would be. So
(28:48):
for that, I want to say thank you, Chef Tom,
thank you for the wonderful food, the kindness and being
so generous, and thank you for the support, and thank
you for everything you've done.
Speaker 1 (29:00):
Guy put her name there and you that's I mean,
you get these all the time.
Speaker 2 (29:05):
I get them all the time. That was really powerful.
That was really well written. You could tell the girl
has got something off of the world.
Speaker 1 (29:12):
You know what. Okay, I could talk to you all day,
but you want to launch a food bank. You need
a truck.
Speaker 2 (29:18):
Yeah, my next goal is a food truck. I'm trying
to raise forty one thousand dollars to buy it. I'm
halfway there.
Speaker 1 (29:25):
A fund me page your wise.
Speaker 2 (29:27):
We're setting up the five oh three C so we
will be set up. But you can go on Facebook
and look up Diesel Tom, Chef Tom one of them
and you'll find.
Speaker 1 (29:36):
Me or get a hold of me. I love to
send people to you.
Speaker 2 (29:40):
I would. I would appreciate your support. See girls like that.
There's lots of them, and that's my gift to reach
people with my personality and my kindness and win them
to having a better life and find Yeah, thank you.
Speaker 1 (29:52):
I think this is wonderful Again. Chef Tom reminds us
of America's story is really a mosaic of compassionate individuals,
ordinary people both doing extraordinary things and God bless them.
I'm still being Moss listening inside every Sunday undertan iHeart
Stations or anytime on your favorite podcast step. Thanks so
much for listening. See you next week.
Hi, I'm Sylvia Moss, and this is Insight, a presentation
of iHeartMedia, where we really do care about our local
communities and all of our listeners who live here. You know, lately,
I've been thinking a lot about America. So many of
us grew up in the one that, at its best
was built on caring. Not just the big historic moments
that we all learn about in school, but the small,
(00:21):
everyday ones that never make it to any textbook. Neighbors
helping neighbors, communities lifting each other up, people choosing compassion
even when it wasn't the easy thing to do. That
spirit of understanding, respect and kindness. That's who we believe
ourselves to be. And I'll be honest, sometimes I hear
people say, why don't we care enough to at least
listen to each other even if we don't agree. Well,
(00:43):
maybe it's because somewhere along the way the volume got
turned up on everything except compassion, personal responsibility, and mutual respect. Meanwhile,
real life is happening outside our front doors, hunger and
homelessness or hitting communities pretty darn hard. Families working full
time job are still struggling to put foot on the table.
Housing costs are pushing people into shelterers, cars and even tents.
(01:07):
We know about that in Harrisburg, and it's the folks
who are already vulnerable, kids, older adults, vets, people with disabilities.
Those are the ones that are feeling at the most
and right here in home. Harrisburg's homeless community has been
through an incredibly tough stretch the past couple of years,
with constant relocations, brutal weather, and a whole community of uncertainty.
(01:27):
But through it all they've been able to count on
an amazing local man who has shown up day after day,
year after year. He made sure people who are hungry
and homeless are fed, supported, and most importantly, he reminded
them that they matter. The thing is, he doesn't represent
some big time nonprofit, but he does refuse the literary.
(01:49):
He was not fall through the cracks. Today you're going
to meet this guy. He is the personification of that
spirit of understanding, respecting kindness that we love about American
Let me introduce you to my buddy, chef Tom Eljott.
Tom's dedication of feeding and uplifting the hungary and homes
three hundred and sixty five days years all part of
his personal mission when we're gonna find out exactly why
(02:12):
this happened to him, why he does what he does,
and he prepares and serves restaurant quality meals and often
fund seeing ingredients right out of his pocket. So Tom,
we got a lot of talk about today. First of all,
how long are you doing this for a while?
Speaker 2 (02:28):
Huh, yeah, I have I been had. I had a
little diner in Harrisburg on Third three across from the museum,
and the homeless guys would come there. It was about
nineteen eighty one and eighty one, eighty two eighty three
through the mid eighties, and they would panhandle out front.
(02:49):
I asked him not to do that because people would
be afraid to come in then. But I told him
to go around the back, knock on the door two times,
and I had a little table in there, and they
can come in and they can have whatever they want.
I fed them and gave him coffee and stuff talk,
and then out and bring a couple more guys in.
So I'd just been doing it my whole entire life.
I would get onto the daily bread through the nineties
(03:09):
and when they needed a chef in the back to cook.
And when I retired it was just gave me an
opportunity to do it more. I finished my business, you knows,
as a car dealer. I had car dealerships, I had
a car wash, I had real estate, I had a
did catering, I had the lunch truck. And you know,
(03:31):
you work about twelve hours a day. So when I
sold my business in two thousand and one and I
had nothing to do, I was around the house working
doing things I was and she actually said that I
painted a wall, did something else, cut the grass. I said.
I kept bugging her, what do you want for dinner tonight?
What do you want for lunch? She said, listen, you're
(03:53):
getting flat out on my last nerves and get a job.
If you don't get a job or do something, I'm
taking off. So anyways, I went. I went down the
Hershey Hotel and a Hershey conveg center. I got a job,
but you know, I declined it because I didn't want
to work another fifty hours a week, even though the
pay was excellent, I really didn't want to. And uh
so I just decided I was going to just feed
(04:14):
the homeless full time and work for my church as
a as a volunteer in the kitchen at Christ Community.
It's a beautiful church, and I enjoy serving the people there,
and you know, the extra food. I take down the
old Tent City and I'd set up a table and
feed the guys and it just became so exciting, and
they look forward so much to my meals and stuff.
(04:35):
And you know, being a chef that makes uh, top
notch meals, restaurant quality meals all my life, I wasn't
going to tone it down just because it's free. So
I'm bringing food down there that you would serve in
any diner or any any quality restaurant. And the people
realize it, and you know, they come running when when
(04:55):
I pull up and they hear my truck. So, yeah,
it's been it's been quite a quite a lot of fun.
It's something I got so much passion for. I look
forward to it. I go down probably like twice a
week the new tent City that you have to be.
They take one caterer per day, so the men.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
And where is that.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
It's at eleven eighty four South Cameron Rear. It's right
behind there's a little tire store called Pens Auto. It's
right behind there. It's probably the size of a football
field maybe a little bigger, and they have ninety tenths.
They're set up and it's actually it's a little bit
different than the old tent city. The old tent city
(05:36):
was the wild wild West, where almost anything went on.
People would bring food down there that was spoiled and
the guys folks would eat it and they would get
stomach food poisonings and so forth. So now you've got
to be you know, you got to be a licensed
caterer with some training, so you know, you bring stuff
down that you know, it's quality stuff. So one meal
(05:58):
a day, one caterer per day. And then they have
little buildings set up there with warmers in it, you know,
little ovens and stuff where microwaves where they can heat
stuff up, Like if they get a snack or something,
they can heat it up in there. So that's what
they eat the rest of the day. So they have bathrooms.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
Excuse me a second. Who are these people? Are they typically?
I mean, we have that wonderful place for vets here,
but are they older people, younger people? Families?
Speaker 2 (06:26):
Yeah, the residents attention.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
Yeah, the New Way.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
Yeah, it's called a miracle for sure.
Speaker 1 (06:31):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
The company. Yeah, so it's run by two amazing people,
the white family. They're they're fantastic people, very loving and kind,
and that's not an easy job to deal with. Ninety
homeless people there feel pretty entitled, you know. But anyways,
there's no kids there. They don't permit kids. But there
(06:54):
was people in there that's seventy eighty years old, and
then there's people in there that are teenagers, like nineteen eighteen, nineteen,
so uh, and then everything in between. Women. Men.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
Do they ever give you any like typical? Are there
any typical stories of the people all the time?
Speaker 2 (07:11):
All the time? I remember this one fella. He h.
He just got there and I asked him, you know, once,
once I feed him and I show him that I
love them and care about him, they open up and
share with me their stories and stuff. And he he
was in Millersburg, which is probably he walked down from Millersburg.
(07:31):
He got behind on him, he got lost a job,
got behind two months, he got evicted. He was carrying
his belongings in a little garbage bag, and he walked
down from Millersburg. I said, man, it took him two days.
He slept on the side of the road in the
woods and came down and they gave him a ten.
He parked hisself there. But uh, you know that guy
(07:53):
actually was a hard worker to bus bus stops right there.
He got a job worked on, you know, got his bus,
got on the bus, he ended up getting howls. He
got a little apartment. I'm going to tell you something
about the greater Harrisburg area. This place is full of
beautiful human being. And I'm telling you when I put
that note on there that the men are freezing, is
there any chance we can help me get some I
(08:15):
bought thirty little propane heaters. The cost of them were
thirty bucks each. That was like nine hundred bucks that
they sent to me, and I was able to buy
the heaters. We need probably about two hundred dollars worth
of propane. Every week, they've been sending me a little
bits and pieces of funding here and there to buy that.
When we had our last storm two three weeks ago,
(08:37):
when we got that foot of snow, what happened was
anybody that wanted to go to a warming center and
went there was probably a third of the people went,
and then the other two thirds stayed there because they
had either had animals or they had belongings. They didn't
want to get stolen. They stayed there and as the
snow came down, they brushed the snow off. With the
(08:58):
third of the people that didn't go, their tents collapse.
You know, the snow was so heavy and they weren't
rebuildable because they were so cheap with the aluminum. They
just bent up. It was the tents were junk. I
went online. These tents are four hundred each, you know.
You know, people had sent me through Amazon like eight
(09:18):
tenths at four hundred dollars apiece. I just love the
people so much I was able to put money out
of my own into.
Speaker 1 (09:26):
It that a lot.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
Oh yeah, buy some more. The food each week costs
about five hundred even though chefs know how to cook,
and you know, you can feed one hundred people for
a hundred bucks if you want to give them, you know,
potato soup. But I want to give them something that's
you know, I want to give them a nice, my
world class meat low for you know, I want to
give them lasagna. So we cooked real good for them
(09:48):
and they deserve it too, because they're living a hard
life and they need quality vegetables. You know, where they
can put something good in their system. I bring a
hair beautition with me, put their chair up and cuts
the guy's hair, so it makes them feel like, you know,
they're clean and they're they're special. I have a lady
that's a vet tech. A lot of them have dogs,
(10:10):
whether it's for like their needs as a as a
you know, a kinkpanion, or if it's just to have
a dog, or maybe they just found a dog running
around and they that was homeless and they wanted to
be homeless together in their tents. So about a third
of them have animals, and we bring dog food down,
so so we give them a bag each of dog food.
(10:32):
Cats some have cats, and then I bring a vet
tech down and they clip their nails and shine their
nails up and cut their little hair that they need
trimmed up. The vet techs really sweet local lady from
a veteran veterinarian clinic here in town. So I'm telling
you why. There's just I love Harrisburg so much, the
beautiful people. I'm gonna have this summer. I'm gonna have
(10:55):
a huge picnic at my house and I'm gonna cook ribs.
I'm gonna cook small Burger's. I'm gonna get my all
my equipment out and I'm going to cook the best
little world Day weekend picnic for all these beautiful people
in the Harrisburg area that supported me. And the volunteers
that come down. You know, I get about fifteen to
(11:15):
twenty volunteers that come down and work on the food
line to dish out the food. Make sure they got
a nice container to put in their stuff. They're taking
the haircutter, the vet tech we have. We bring down
clothes for them, no nice sock. So I'm just grateful
to God giving me this opportunity. We'll do this.
Speaker 1 (11:35):
Tell our listeners a story about what happened to you.
Speaker 2 (11:39):
How I got started with God ninety one in the
I'm in My life's dream is coming to happen. I'm
a young kid from Stelton. I wasn't real smart. I
graduated like one hundred and twenty three out of one
hundred and twenty five, and I beat out two special
needs kids. Oh stop, no, I did for real? Okaytra
(12:03):
I had add They didn't know what it was. They
thought it was just a goof off. So luckily, if
it wasn't for the geek geeky kids that I protected
from the bullies, and they did my homework. I would
have never passed, but I did so. A kid with
no education, no no influential people, no money, no nothing,
you know, ninety one, I just just from true grit
(12:23):
and true faith in myself and and hard, hard, hard
work and taking chances that worked. I'm running a multi
million dollar company, a couple of car lots. The catering
business is booked out a year, and I'm feeling sick.
For a month. I couldn't get out. And I never
get sick. I couldn't get over this flu bug. I
(12:45):
started feeling when I shower and I felt under my arms.
I had some lumps in there. That was weird. I
thought I just hurt myself playing softball. But I ended
up in the Holy Spirit Hospital, and uh, I'm in
the oncologist's office and his name was Jock, doctor John Conroy.
He said, son, I hate to tell you this, but
you got stage four cancers in your bones. I was
(13:06):
thirty seven. I have two little boys. And he said
he said, uh. He said, I'm gonna give you the
strongest shot of chemo. I got that. We got it.
It's available and I want you to go home. Tell
your family you're probably not gonna make it. He said,
get your affairs in order. So I drove. I never
forget driving him back across the south Bridge. I'm in
(13:27):
my Mercedes. I just wanted to drive off and end
my life. And I thought about it. That would hurt
my mom too bad. I said, I got two little boys.
I said, my only hope was God. And I know
I wasn't living good for God. I was Catholic kind of.
I went to church Christmas Eve gassed up, So you know,
I really wasn't a good person for God. I loved.
(13:49):
I knew God was a would be able to heal me.
I knew that I didn't have nothing against God, but
I didn't think God would want to do anything for me.
I didn't do anything for him, so I didn't know God.
I got home and I said, but I'll give it
a shot anyway. I remember on my floor, I was
pounding my floor telling him God, I screwed up. I
said another word, but I screwed up my life God,
(14:11):
I said, all I want is an opportunity to do
things over. And I promise I'll I won't let you down.
I'll be your best servant ever got up. I still
had tumors, I was still sick, I figured, but I
felt something change inside me. I wasn't sure what it was,
but I really had this desire to live. It just
got me so excited to live. And I went back
(14:33):
to doctor John's the week later for another shot a chemo.
And when you go into an oncologist's office, first thing
I do is blood pressure way and they take ten
tubes of blood, maybe twenty. I don't have a lot
of blood go into their lab. I'm in there getting
my chemo and doctor John comes running out like he's
seen a ghost. His eyes was as big as golf balls,
and he says, what have you been doing differently? And
(14:55):
I always told doctor John to talk to me like
in like ghetto terms, because I don't understand all that
doctor talk, he says. Son, he said, I don't understand it.
But your red blood cells they should be dying with
that shot of chemo, but they're they're getting stronger. It
doesn't make it doesn't make scientific sense, he said. And
then then white blood cells. It's like a pack of
(15:17):
angry wolves are attacking that thing. He said, you're getting
better keep it up. So, uh, long story short, Sylvia.
Four months later, it was that was around Christmases, around Easter.
He gave me a pet scan from top to bottom
and he says, I, I can't explain it, he said,
he said, he said, you're you're better and I can't
(15:38):
even see scar tissue. It's like you never had cancer.
He said, I'm stamping your record, devine intervention. He stamped it,
and I got the record. So I knew God did
something for me now. I wanted to do something for
God now. And see, like I said, I didn't know God.
I didn't even know how to serve him. I said,
I'm gonna quit, quit my job, quit the business. I'm
(15:59):
gonna be a pre or, a pastor. I guess. I
went to see a priest, told him my story, he says.
He says, Tom, I know you. He said, you're not
pastor material in a church. He said, you know you
got a checkered past. You you can't can't hardly read,
he said, he said, but listen, he said, here's the thing.
He said, My pulpit is in the church. That's what
(16:21):
God got from me. Your pulpit is behind a grill
and you're gonna be. I can see you in homeless camps,
I can see you in drug rehab centers, I can
see you in car garages. You know, serving people, and
that's how you serve God by serving people. And you know,
that made so much sense to me, that priest that
told me that it made all the sense in the
(16:43):
world because it's in the Bible we serve God by
serving others. So I dedicated myself to serving others. And
from that point on, I went right down to the
daily bread and I started making breakfast for the men
at four thirty in the morning, and then it just
went to the Bethesda, and then I started doing my
own feeding rep the guys, and it just in my
(17:07):
car lot. I had a I've developed a little thing
called car Helpers, where I would take all my inexpensive
cars and put new tires on them, get him inspected,
and I would donate them to single moms or people
that were hurting that needed cars. Come in with a
car that needed five thousand dollars worth of work, and
the car's worth a hundred bucks. I said, look, you're
just getting another car for free. You can't afford one here,
(17:30):
So we'd give hundreds of cars out over the car
dealership and I don't know, just things like that. We
build an ice cream truck and it was called the
Harrisburg Church on wheels. So for four years I'd take
it out and go into the cities and I'd lay
out of tarp and we'd play games with the kids
that all come running by and give them a little
Bible message and then I'd give them free ice cream
(17:51):
if they were good, and they sat there and listened
to the message. So over ten thousand kids over the
four years that I did that turned their life over
to Christ. So on stuff like that through but all
my ministry work. When I needed money for it, I
never had the fundraise. I just wrote a check because
we had plenty of money. So when I retired, uh,
you know, I started doing it and now I kind
(18:11):
of used up all my savings. The plan actually was,
to be honest with you, the plan was to uh
do like all the other rich businessmen, is to go
to Florida and buy a beach house and sip martiniz
and watch the sunset. But you know, God was like
hitting me. It was like, would you consider my plan
for your future?
Speaker 1 (18:29):
But you love that you thrive on it.
Speaker 2 (18:31):
I do.
Speaker 1 (18:31):
I do better than going down Florida.
Speaker 2 (18:33):
Well I know that now. I thought Florida would be better.
But you know, when God, God spoke to my heart
one night I had a dream, he says, uh, would
you consider my plan, and that's use your money and
feed the people. And I said absolutely, if it's God's plan,
he don't make mistakes. And he was exactly right. Four
years ago, at after COVID, I had my one last
(18:55):
big profit after COVID. I bought a whole bunch of
cars when everybody thought the ceiling was falling in, and
then I sold them when the car market came back
four months later and made such money, so I sold it.
And I still really wasn't sure how I was gonna,
you know, do this. And I'm getting on my waist
nerves asking her what she wants for dinner and what
(19:15):
do you want me to do next? She said, get
a job or something. So I went down to Hershey
and you know, got a job, but I didn't take
it because I didn't think that was what God would
want me to do, work another sixty hour week, So
I canceled that. I started working at my church doing
volunteer cooking there. And then I started going down with
the extra food to Tent City and I fell in
(19:36):
love with the people, and so that's how I got
started in it. Now I go down. Last year I
fed fifteen thousand people get I went on my daytimer
and added it up just out of curiosity. I was
waiting for something to finish in the oven and I
had an extra hour to waste standing there, and I
added it up and it was pretty amazing. And I'm
so grateful to my volunteers who come every week, cold hot,
(20:02):
they come and they just help me serve, help me
set up. I'm so grateful to this. As I said,
I can't say enough thank you to the greater people
of Harrisburg that have donated out of their pockets. You know,
they gave me four hundred beautiful used coats that I
gave out to the people. You know, some people come
to ten City. I give them a coat and then
(20:22):
they you know, they either get howls or they you know,
go elsewhere, move somewhere, or the family takes them back.
And then you know, four more people come in. So
you know, it's like you can't give a coat and
then not give another coat, like those twenty tenths that
fell in. All their belongings got ruined, so we had
to go out and get them new you know, coats
(20:43):
and blankets and things. So, as I said, I'm just
so grateful. I have ladies at their churches all over,
probably about twenty different ladies at twenty different churches that
have a clothing fund for Chef Tom, and they throw
their come every Sunday, they throw a blank in or
a coat she brings on my go pick them up.
I have my truck loaded up. I'm so glad I
(21:05):
got a truck. You know. It was just like I
never had a truck for myself. And I'm saying, my
wife said, what do you get a truck for? I said,
I don't know. I just feel like I need to
have a truck, you know. So luckily I have that
thing full. All my equipment fits in there. I take
a deep fryer, flat top, some warmers and stuff down.
When I go, I set up. I cook for them there.
(21:25):
Sometimes sometimes I bring cooked food, but sometimes I'll cook
there for him. They love that, like they just feel
so special. You know.
Speaker 1 (21:33):
Let me ask you this is really important. Excuse me
when I go out and talk to different people, whether
it's my friends, people I mean, or whomever, and I
start talking about it some of the issues. People don't
want to believe this goes on in Harrisburg. What would
you say to them.
Speaker 2 (21:49):
I say, come along with me some Wednesday night and
let's serve together.
Speaker 1 (21:53):
Are you surprised by it from when you start doing it?
The people in this area need help.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
Yeah, it is shocking. It is shocking. But uh, you know,
the news and the public and the media is making
things more. No, if you say ten City, they know
where it is.
Speaker 1 (22:11):
You.
Speaker 2 (22:12):
I mean, it's getting more on the you know. I
guess you can go home to your beautiful home in
camp Hill and shut the door and lock it, turn
your alarm system on and be uh, you know, blind
to it if you want. I'm assuming. But for me,
when I'm in my little bed I live in lewis Berry.
It's just a little house. And but when I hear
that wind blowing, I think about my friends down there
(22:34):
because they only got a little tiny eighth inch piece
of cloth keeping them from it. I got I got
bricks and wood, you know, And I think, like, man,
this that's just ain't right. But you know, that's why
I work so hard for him, and that's why I
don't care how dirty they are there getting a big hug.
Speaker 1 (22:52):
Well you shore that story about the gentleman you took
a bottom got them.
Speaker 2 (22:57):
Yeah, well there was a guy. I got hundred and
hundreds of stories. Been doing this full time for about
four years, and been doing it for thirty years part
time when I worked in my business. But uh, this
one one fella. He he walked from Millersburg all the
way down and I'm thinking, like Millersburg, I mean like
an hour away driving. He said, yeah, it took two days.
(23:18):
I lost my job, got two months behind on my rent.
I got evicted. He he had a trash bag of
stuff and he brought it down there and he had
food poisonings. It was at the old place, and he
had an accident in his pants. He was all stinky
and nasty, and I said, man, there's no showers down
(23:39):
there nowhere really to wash the rivers as dirty as
you know, you know, as he was, so I said,
come on, man, you're getting in my truck. We're going
to get a hotel. I'm gonna I'm gonna get you
a nice shower. And he was like, no, chef, I
don't want to sit in your chair. He said, sit
in the chair man. He's because he's, you know, had
an accident. I said, now sit in the chair man.
I I'm a detailed man. I've been detailing cars for
(24:02):
thirty years. I'm fine, let's go. And so got him
out there while he showering. I ran over and got
in my new clothes at Walmart, and the guy ended
up sending me a text. I took him back and
set his tent up for him and got him a blanket.
He said. You know, chef, he said, I'm working now,
he said, and I owe it to you man, for
(24:23):
I was wondering, you know, for a long time, I
wondered if you were a real human being or you
were like God dressed up like a human being, because
who would hug a guy that's full of crap and
let him sit in a brand new truck? He said?
He said that that inspired me to become better, and
I got a job. I'm housed now, and I'll never
(24:44):
forget what you said.
Speaker 1 (24:45):
The text that.
Speaker 2 (24:48):
Was a text from somebody else?
Speaker 1 (24:49):
Would you mind reading the text from someone else?
Speaker 2 (24:52):
This was another lady that this is remarkable. Yeah, I
might get emotional. Is that all right?
Speaker 1 (24:58):
Of course I just slapped year or something, Yes, ma'am
like that. I'm just blown away by what you do.
I think is I met you a couple of years
ago when you came in with your sister.
Speaker 2 (25:10):
Yeah, for the chili cook the chili cook off. Yeah,
so this lady said, She said, I don't know if
you remember me or not. I used to live in
ten City, and I made it out exclamation. You were
so kind to us. You never judged any of us.
You always made us feel like we were worth it
and well fed and had some eat food even to
take back to our little homes. Quote. But you were
(25:31):
extra kind to me. You brought me. She she When
she got there, it was her first day there, and
what had happened was there was this nice looking, little
petit lady in the corner crying, and you know that's
not unusual. As I went over and I said, hey,
what's the matter, And I said, so we got to talk,
and she said her her abusive husband. She left and
(25:53):
went to her parents' house. She's about in her twenties
and her parents didn't have any room where they were
staying they had no room for her. So her believe
it or not, her dad drops her off at ten
sid with her little bit of bag of belongings and
her abusive person had her dog tied up to the
telephone pole down the street, just left him there to die.
(26:14):
And so anyways, she said, she said, but you were
extra kind to me. You brought me to get my
dog and my belongings, and for that, I'd be forever grateful.
I asked her, what could I do within reason? You know, yeah,
everybody wants a new Ferrari, But what can I do
for you within reason? She said, all I want you
(26:35):
to do is take me to get my dog and
my little bit of belongings. They are thrown out in
the yard. So anyways, it was way out in Dilsburg.
It was like an hour away, and I pull up
and this huge dude comes out, and I think, dear God,
what did I get myself into? And he starts, you know,
being aggressive with her, and I said, that ain't gonna happen.
I'm seventy, you know, my fighting days are gone. I
(26:57):
can't be punched. So I went over. I looked at him,
I said, listen, we're just going to get our stuff.
I prayed, first of all, Dear God, help me. So
I went out and I said, listen, we're just going
to get our stuff, get the dog, and you'll never
see her or me again. And the guy just calmed
down immediately. I mean, the power of God must have
hit him somehow, because that's all I can say. This
(27:19):
guy had crazy eyes. You ever see people like that?
And he was way bigger than me, And there was
no way I wanted to fight with this guy. And
he just calmed right down. He says, okay, and he
walks back in the house. Thank you Lord. So we
get the dog and we put him in the car
and we head on down. So she said, that's what
I'll be forever grateful for. You always said I deserve better,
(27:42):
and I wanted to show you that I made it out.
I made it out with my life exclamation. I'm seven
months sober now and I'm doing good. I'm going to school.
There are very few people who came there and to serve,
who did it genuinely, and you were one of them.
People would run through the world and shouting chef Thom
is here and would off lock not because the food
(28:06):
was so amazing but your heart was amazing. I can't
speak for anyone in the new camp because I wasn't there,
but at the old camp, we always appreciated everything you did.
But I will especially never forget the kindness and true,
unconditional love you showed me. If it wasn't for the
few volunteers like you kept telling me I was worth
(28:26):
it more and more, I would never have done when
I had the strength to stay sober like I am.
There are three of you that played a significant role
in helping me crawl out of some of the darkest
days I ever had and find the light again. Without
your constant support and encouragement, I can't imagine, nor do
I ever want to imagine where I would be. So
(28:48):
for that, I want to say thank you, Chef Tom,
thank you for the wonderful food, the kindness and being
so generous, and thank you for the support, and thank
you for everything you've done.
Speaker 1 (29:00):
Guy put her name there and you that's I mean,
you get these all the time.
Speaker 2 (29:05):
I get them all the time. That was really powerful.
That was really well written. You could tell the girl
has got something off of the world.
Speaker 1 (29:12):
You know what. Okay, I could talk to you all day,
but you want to launch a food bank. You need
a truck.
Speaker 2 (29:18):
Yeah, my next goal is a food truck. I'm trying
to raise forty one thousand dollars to buy it. I'm
halfway there.
Speaker 1 (29:25):
A fund me page your wise.
Speaker 2 (29:27):
We're setting up the five oh three C so we
will be set up. But you can go on Facebook
and look up Diesel Tom, Chef Tom one of them
and you'll find.
Speaker 1 (29:36):
Me or get a hold of me. I love to
send people to you.
Speaker 2 (29:40):
I would. I would appreciate your support. See girls like that.
There's lots of them, and that's my gift to reach
people with my personality and my kindness and win them
to having a better life and find Yeah, thank you.
Speaker 1 (29:52):
I think this is wonderful Again. Chef Tom reminds us
of America's story is really a mosaic of compassionate individuals,
ordinary people both doing extraordinary things and God bless them.
I'm still being Moss listening inside every Sunday undertan iHeart
Stations or anytime on your favorite podcast step. Thanks so
much for listening. See you next week.
Popular Podcasts
Joy 101 with Hoda Kotb
Joy is essential. And it's also elusive. You can't order it, borrow it, or simply hope it into life. But now, there's a new and exciting way to start your journey toward a more joyful existence: The Joy 101 Podcast with Hoda! Best known for her Emmy-winning work and co-anchoring Today, Hoda Kotb infuses her authenticity, curiosity, and warmth into conversations with the world’s most fascinating people. Entertainment legends, sport icons, wellness experts, and everyday folks will share how they find, allow, and experience joy. Hoda will offer her own tips and takes on seeking a more balanced, harmonious life. If you're craving inspiration, support, and useful tools to maximize your joy, tune in to these candid, uplifting, and moving on-air chats. Joy after a breakup, joy as an empty-nester, joy after loss, joy as a caretaker — Hoda's new podcast will speak to you. Joy 101 with Hoda Kotb, an iHeartPodcast.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com