Giffird's Hope
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  • The Unicorn
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  • Hope Street
  • Apartment No. 1
  • Restoring Hope
  • Knock on the Door
  • Welcome Home
  • You're An Eagle
  • The Highway Patrol
  • The Letter
  • Home
  • In Search of Hope
  • The Spirit of Giving
  • The Unknown
  • Hard Work
  • Another Man's Treasure
  • Treasure Hunting
  • Coffee Mugs and Tea
  • Planning for Success
  • Stockyard Memories
  • Join the Military, Kid
  • The Billboard
  • The Marine Corps
  • You're In Hawaii
  • Angel Investor
  • Duty-Free Shopping
  • Hawaii's Tourism
  • Liberty House
  • Great America
  • Giffird's Dream
  • The Heritage Trail
  • The Message Light
  • Everything was Gone
  • The Park Bench
  • Guardian Security
  • J.C. Penney
  • Why Are You Homeless?
  • The Unicorn
  • Helping Those in Need
  • Hope Street
  • Apartment No. 1
  • Restoring Hope
  • Knock on the Door
  • Welcome Home
  • You're An Eagle
  • The Highway Patrol
  • The Letter
Giffird's Hope
Another Man’s Treasure

When Giffird was nine years old, he became fascinated with an older man named LeRoy, who drove his old pickup truck up and down the streets of the Stockyards. Giffird watched him rummaging through junk piles and trash cans, gathering items thrown out by apartment dwellers and small business owners and putting the stuff into the back of his truck.

One day, Giffird built up the courage to walk up to LeRoy and ask him why he collected junk. He approached the older man cautiously. “Mister,” asked Giffird, “Why do you dig in garbage cans and take other people’s trash?” LeRoy smiled at Giffird and told him to sit down on some steps. Then he quickly retrieved two small bottles of Dr. Pepper from a cooler in the back of his truck.

While they enjoyed the sodas, Leroy explained to Giffird how different metals could be melted down and re-used. He also told him that some people throw out things because they no longer want them, but a neighbor just a block away might need that very thing desperately. When the older man finished explaining, Giffird was convinced that “one man’s junk was indeed another man’s treasure.”
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