Stewart Eaton needed help, and April Wittebort stepped in to give it to him. Stewart, a Marine Veteran, lost his house to a fire back in 2020. He has been living in his car on his property ever since.
Because Stewart did not have home insurance, he couldn’t fix his home, even though he could still live on the property. That is why he ended up with all his belongings in his car, sitting in his driveway.
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A Call For Help
In addition to having to live in his car, Stewart has diabetes, shingles, as well as other health issues. He ended up reaching out to a local Facebook group called, “Bloomington, IN-What’s Going On?” about his struggles, posting, “”If there is a commercial outfit that is reliable that somebody could recommend, I would appreciate your input,” he wrote. “Or if there are any Christian or God-fearing people that could lend an hour of time to help me do as ordered, I would be extremely grateful.”
According to the Herold-Times, Stewart was facing fines because of “solid waste accumulation, ” which he needed help with. This had been an ongoing problem, starting even before the fire. Stewart was at a point where he had to clean up his property.
A Stranger Offers Help
April, who read his post in the Facebook group, drove to his property to let him know she was there to help. At first, he wasn’t sure about it but he came around. A man named Mike West, and another, Ryan Mader also offered to help and the three of them worked together to fill Mike’s truck and take 2,500lbs of debris to the dump.
Stewart Eaton told the paper, “It must have been the hand of God,” and surely it was. Alice, Mike, and Ryan were the hands of Jesus as they helped Stewart do what he could not do alone. It was a true act of kindness by strangers helping a member of their community.
Getting Stewart Eaton a Home
Beyond helping with the debris, April set up a GoFundMe account which is now over $8,000. She hopes to build a tiny home on his property after finding out that her first idea of a Federal Emergency Management Agency trailer would only be a temporary fix.
“I'm working with the housing authority to get Stewart into something temporary for now and working with top tier roofing on designing a tiny cabin that would be more sustainable for him ... something that could last the rest of his life,” Alice commented.
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In a time when so many people are only focused on themselves, it is heartwarming to see neighbors helping neighbors. Stewart Eaton has been through a lot and as a veteran has served his county. He should be able to have a home of his own, and the safety and comfort that comes with it.
We hope and pray that Stewart will get his tiny home very soon, and be able to live more comfortably.
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h/t: People
Featured Image Credit: Facebook/marie.henson1