David Ross is a man that lives frugally and does what he can to help the homeless people in San Diego. Ross has even earned the nickname “Water Man” because he goes around providing homeless people or “his people,” as he calls them, with basic needs such as access to water. Ross is an 83 years old retired car salesman and his meager Social Security checks leave him almost as poor as the homeless people that he has devoted almost two decade of his life to help. Almost every day, Ross drives around San Diego giving “his people” bottles of water, something that is so simple that we often take for granted. Ross states,
These people are thirsty. Can you imagine a need any more basic than water? There’s no water fountains down here. My God, they need water.
Giving water to the homeless is not as easy as it sounds and many people do not bother to even consider the need for water as an issue. Ross has even been attacked several times by homeless people, many of which suffer from mental disorders, yet he has remained committed to his calling of providing water to those that need it. He even sued the city of San Diego in 2009 because police and city workers were destroying the property of homeless people such as tents, which lead to a program that started in 2013 that allows 400 homeless people at a time to store their belongings in storage lockers or bins. The storage operation is run by a nonprofit called Think Dignity, which supports Ross in his belief that homeless people need basic necessities. The nonprofit also adds $240 dollars a month to a debit card that Ross uses to purchase the water bottles that he distributes to homeless people throughout San Diego.
The story of the “Water Man” is a great story about a man that was tired of things not being done to remedy an issue. He is providing a great service to his community and if there were more people in this world like him, the world would be a much better place.
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