EMPTY STOCKING: Agencies team up to help Earl restock

Earl had tried for almost three years to get on Social Security and disability.

He'd worked for a local grocery chain for more than 20 years as a stocker. The constant bending, lifting and kneeling wrecked his back and knees, he said. When rendered physically unable to stock groceries, he was also left without a job.

“I’ve been kind of bouncing around for the last two-to-three years,” Earl said. “There was just no work around here that I can do.”

Then he discovered the Pikes Peak Community Action Agency and Westside CARES. People from both organizations helped him get on state disability and to finally start getting Social Security.

“They helped me right away,” Earl said of the two agencies. Only his first name is being used to protect his privacy.

Earl goes to the PPCAA’s Billie Spielman Center when things get tight.

“If you need a coat or shoes or gloves or whatever, they help with that,” he said. “They helped me out with bus passes so I could go back and forth to the doctor.”

The PPCAA and Westside CARES are two of the 14 local charities receiving grants from The Gazette-El Pomar Foundation Empty Stocking Fund. The PPCAA provides emergency financial and in-kind assistance for families and individuals experiencing financial crisis. Westside CARES’ services include emergency help for rent, utilities, Goodwill vouchers and other needs.

Earl said a nurse at Westside helped him get his birth certificate and other important documents. They also hired a lawyer for him and arranged for his glasses — neither of which Earl could afford. A counselor from Billie Spielman even went to court with him for support.

Though he’s living with friends now, Earl yearns for a place of his own. He’s hoping next year that dream can become a reality.

“I don’t even know where I’d be right now if not for those two,” Earl said. “If you need something, they will help you as much as they can.”

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To make a secure online donation, go to www.fillanemptystocking.org. Call 476-1673 to make a credit card or stock donation over the phone. Checks can be made payable to the Empty Stocking Fund and mailed to P.O. Box 400, Colorado Springs, CO 80901.