It was a day like any other when Dave Schmitt, senior account executive at Spartan Printing in Lansing, MI, stopped for a quick bite at Taco Bell in nearby Dewitt. As he waited in the drive-thru line, he saw a pickup truck with attached pop-up camper covered with tarps in a corner of the parking lot. It was the second time he’d seen the vehicles and his curiosity was piqued.

“I’m aware of my environment, so I tend to notice when something’s different,” says Schmitt. “I’m also nosy, so I asked the woman working the drive-thru what it was all about, and if someone had left it there. She said, ‘Well actually, that’s where my son and I live.’”

From left, Dave Schmitt, Spartan Printing; Bob Hoffman, FOX 47 News; and Margie Wolfe outside the Taco Bell where Schmitt first met Wolfe. (photo courtesy of FOX 47 News)

After subsequent conversations with Margie Wolfe, whom Schmitt calls “Miss Margie,” Schmitt found out that it had been difficult for her to find work during COVID because so many places were cutting hours and furloughing or laying off staff. She got increasingly behind on rent and then earlier this year, Wolfe, her son and three dogs were evicted.

In April and May, they all slept in the cab of the pickup, parked where they could find space, while Wolfe tried to find hours at the nearby grocery store and fast-food restaurants. Her son was able to procure the camper, which wasn’t in great shape, but they made it work until October, when she crossed paths with Schmitt. By that point, she was finally working more hours but was still having a difficult time making ends meet. She and her family continued to stay in the camper in a part of the country where winter comes early.

“She was working 10- to 12-hour days and then sleeping there,” says Schmitt. “It’s a very demanding job. I don’t know how she did it. The person is right in front of you, and you can see the need. They’re looking right at you. How can you not help?”

The truck and camper that Wolfe, her son and three dogs called home for several months this year. (photo courtesy of FOX 47 News)

Schmitt became a frequent visitor to Taco Bell, gifting Wolfe with extra money and leveraging social media to ask for help on her behalf. And the community delivered. Recently, Wolfe and her son and dogs moved into a new apartment, and Schmitt got to work helping them furnish it. Members of the community donated household items like homemade afghans and new linens, and a local appliance retailer even gave them a new dryer for free. One anonymous donor sent them $5,000. Next, they’re also working on getting repairs completed on a donated car.

“People really stepped up and offered to help out,” says Schmitt. “I borrowed a neighbor’s truck/trailer to pick up and drop off furniture. My wife and I took Miss Margie shopping recently for basics, like outerwear and boots. Homelessness is everywhere, even when it’s not right in front of you. I can’t fix all of it, but I can help here.”

The family was able to move into an apartment, thanks to community help. Now, led by Schmitt, they’re working on furnishing it and repairing a donated car. (photo courtesy of FOX 47 News)

What started as a chance conversation not only made the local news, including a spot on FOX 47 with host Bob Hoffman, who features similar community stories as part of his “Good Neighbor” series, but also got as far as Grand Rapids, Detroit, and even Wisconsin and Colorado. “I didn’t expect notoriety,” says Schmitt, who in recent weeks has been inundated with emails from people asking how they can help. “I just wanted to help someone in need.”

It’s not the first time Schmitt, who’s worked at Spartan for nearly 20 years, has been involved in an act of kindness. In 2018, he noticed that a server at one of his favorite local restaurants hadn’t been to work in a while. When he asked about her, he was told she had been missing shifts to take care of her mother, who was battling cancer. So, he and other members of the community hosted a pizza fundraiser at the restaurant for her without her knowledge, which they asked her to work, and at the end, they gave her $1,500 to help with her missed hours. Day to day, he also makes it a habit to speak kind words to the people who cross his path, and even pay for their meals; police officers, firefighters, military members and veterans have a special place in his heart, he says.

“There’s a lot to be done,” says Schmitt. “If you see something, don’t just drive by and wonder. Ask and do something if you can. It can be basic and simple. Strike up a conversation and something cool can come out of it. If I hadn’t asked about the camper, none of this would have happened.”