Susan was pulling into the Mcdonald's drive-through in Bayville section of Berkeley when she spotted something that didn't look right.
A man in a flannel jacket is sitting in the rain with his dog.
He and the dog were given six breakfast sandwiches. I got out of the car and started talking to him, and he started to cry.
The woman who gave the man the food, listened to his story, and posted about it on social media was a mother of three U.S. servicemen and owner of two dogs.
A chain reaction of kindness began.
Lunch Break and Family Promise charities merged to help the homeless.
Surfer Baby was first found by Susan McGrath.
A dog saved my life.
The man is from Florida and came to New Jersey two years ago. His dog is named Surfer Baby in honor of his fiancée, who died in a car accident.
Maggard fell into a deep depression after Wilson's Ford Focus was crushed under a tractor-trailer. Surfer Baby was given to him by friends to help him recover.
He said that the dog saved his life. It crushed me when I lost my fiancée. I drank myself to death. I wouldn't have made it. I couldn't imagine my life without her.
In the video atop this story, you can hear more fromDustin.
He was sleeping behind a Bayville strip mall Saturday night. Maggard came to Berkeley in the summer of 2020 to be with his son and the boy's mother. The domestic dispute that led to his expulsion from their home Saturday was confirmed by the Asbury Park Press. There was a restraining order issued.
Berkeley police tried to find a place for him to stay, but none of the shelters they called would accommodate his dog. He got some blankets from Fur Balls and spent the night next to a dumpster.
Maggard said there was no way he would ever give her up. There was no way I was giving up this dog.
How did it go? The Toms River family took in six homeless siblings.
Susan was with Surfer Baby andDustin Maggard.
What a blessing.
Two years ago, McGrath moved to Beachwood from Union County. She likes animals. One of her dogs was rescued by a son who was in Afghanistan with the New Jersey Army National Guard.
After meeting Maggard and Surfer Baby, she posted about them on the "Beachwood Neighborhood Discussion & Watch" Facebook page. She went back to the Mcdonald's to help the pair find a place to stay.
She said that by the time she got back, cars were pulling up with coats. Two Beachwood residents were the first on the scene.
Maggard was able to stay with his dog at the Motel 6.
I paid for four nights for him.
A homeless veteran finds a home after 18 years in the woods.
Susan andDustin were together.
She updated her original post on Facebook. People paid for four more nights at the motel. Dozens of do-gooders showed up there, dropping off food, clothing and other goods until the stuff just about filled Maggard's room. People would run out of space, so McGrath asked them to stop.
Maggard said that Susan has been amazing. The community came together. I am very happy.
"They are great, they received offers of help from around the state, and I am very thankful for that," she said. People have offered to pay for more motel stays as Maggard and McGrath try to figure out what's next. Someone opened a Paypal account for Maggard with $200 in it.
Maggard was without a place to call home. The homeless man and his dog were helped by a Beachwood woman.
A friend in Tennessee has offered to take Maggard and Surfer Baby. He needs a way to get there. They are looking at options.
When asked why she approached a stranger in the rain outside a Mcdonald's, she said she trusted her instincts and that she could empathise with the man.
She said she would never leave her dogs.
A baby with some stuffed animals.
Susan McGrath is the email address for anyone interested in helping.
The Jersey Shore has interesting people, inspiring stories and pressing issues that Jerry Carino focuses on in his community column. He can be reached at jcarino@gannettnj.com.
A homeless man who wouldn't give up his dog was helped by a woman.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
