Natalie Barnes drives a public transit bus in Milwaukee. On one chilly night this past October, she picked up an elderly man she had picked up in the past. His name was Richard.
When Natalie stopped the bus to take a break, Richard started telling her what was going on in his life. He was homeless now; the house he had been living in until a few weeks ago was now condemned because of a fire.
Natalie offered to buy him dinner, but he kindly declined. Then, she asked Richard if he would like to continue on her route with her so he could stay out of the cold weather. Well he liked that idea, and he surely appreciated it.
A while later, Natalie took another break, and brought some bags of food back to Richard, saying she wanted to help him. Richard thanked her for her kindness. A short time later, Natalie called a friend who agreed to help Richard get into a temporary shelter. Then she asked Richard if he would like her to get him some things from a store.
When Richard got off the bus later, Natalie said she would see him tomorrow. Because Natalie’s kindness to Richard was captured on the bus’ video, she was honored by the transit system for reaching out to help someone in need.
Says county executive Chris Abele: “Natalie’s kindness, compassion and respect for this man in need are what MCTS Excellence is all about. Natalie demonstrated what we all need to do to fight homelessness: to look out for each other, to care for each other and to work together. I’m deeply grateful for Natalie’s actions.”
Natalie and Richard are now the best of friends, and the county was able to find him some permanent housing.
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