Suburban Woman Raises Money So Man Who Lives In Car Can Stay In Hotel
(CBS) -- Thanks to the kindness of strangers, one suburban man will spend the night in a hotel instead of his car.
In this Original Report, CBS 2's Mai Martinez went to Crystal Lake to meet the man and the woman he calls his guardian angel.
It started as a simple Facebook post by Hillary Kaplan and it grew into a movement to help that man who Kaplan and her kids befriended over the past 7-8 months. His name is Ed.
"My son and I would always talk to him, bring him food," she said.
Because it was getting colder, Kaplan wanted to pay for Ed to stay at hotel for one night, but it wasn't something she could afford to do on her own, so she turned to Facebook and that's when donations came pouring in.
"Tons of responses," Kaplan said. "I had so many people, 43 comments."
Thanks to the generosity of Hillary's friends, she was able to collect enough money to put Ed up in a Super 8 in Crystal Lake for not one, but two nights.
Ed didn't want us to show us his face, but he did want to thank everyone who helped him.
He says the best part is, "the simple fact that I can come and keep the dogs warm and take a shower and stuff and have a bed to sleep in."
He says the outpouring of help means a lot.
"It's the warmth of American people," Ed said. "It gives me some hope."
It also gives Hillary hope.
"It's a good feeling and again it's a good feeling to show my kids that there are people who can help others," she said.
Ed will be staying at the Super 8 again tonight, and then it's back to sleeping in his car. He says he can't stay in homeless shelters because they don't allow pets, and he's not going to give up his dogs because they're like family to him.
