Veterans and their loved ones came together for six hours Saturday to hold a garage sale benefiting two military families in need.
After filling a new house for the Rectors, a Jefferson City homeless family whose father is a Marine veteran, the leftover, donated furniture and household items were sold - an idea of local veteran advocate Pat Kerr to raise funds to replace the family's $400 down-and-out van.
However, the need increased, and another family - one with a female homeless veteran and her three children - was added.
The cause hit close to home for three other veteran families who turned out to assist in the effort. Charles and Janet Ruse, of Jefferson City, said when it comes to veterans, they're like family.
"I feel like God put us on this Earth to help one another and veterans are on the top of that list," Janet Ruse said.
Charles Ruse served from 1963-67 in the Air Force and was stationed for two years (1965-66) in the South Pacific. He and other soldiers were sending an average of 30 B-52s every 24 hours to Vietnam. Ruse said he experienced the public resentment Vietnam veterans faced when coming home from the war. Veterans today are treated better in contrast, evident by Saturday's garage sale, he said.
"I look at it as better late than never," Ruse said. "We didn't get treated very well, but I'm glad they do now."
Bob Sneller, another Vietnam veteran from Holts Summit, and his wife, Sandy, decided to contribute to the garage sale as a way to "pay it forward." Early in the year, they faced losing their home. Sandy has battled breast and ovarian cancer and endured 29 surgeries in relation to the diseases. The medical bills added up, and the mortgage payments did too. After a successful online fundraiser, the couple was able to stay in their home.
"My best day was when I gave the check to the mortgage company and knew I still had a home," Sandy Sneller said.
When seeing others in need, especially veterans, Sandy Sneller said she and her husband will now do whatever they can.
"It blesses our heart to know we can help them," she said. "We know we need to turn around and do the same for them."
Comradery was an aspect of the garage sale Cassidy Troy, a Jefferson City woman and the wife of a Purple Heart Veteran, said she enjoyed. Her husband, Jimmy Troy II, was hit by an improvised explosive device while serving in Iraq. He medically retired, and they settled down in Jefferson City. It's important for the couple to be around other veterans, she said, because they understand what they're going through, especially as Jimmy Troy II faces challenges with post traumatic stress disorder.
"You lose that cameraderie when you go civilian life," Troy said. "When you're helping that person in your community, you know them on a first-name basis. You can give them support right here and it's not over the phone or through a $19 a month donation. It's meaningful."
The motivation to help veterans for Abraham Numerich, the grandson of Kerr, stems from the love for his parents who are both in the Army and stationed in Germany. He sold water and doughnuts as shoppers browsed the sale.
"I see the veterans, and they don't have homes and I think, "How would I feel if that was one of my parents?'" he said.