A plumber’s heartwarming gesture towards struggling elderly people is winning him appreciation all across the country.
The 52-year-old plumber had quit his full-time job so that he could offer free plumbing and home repair services for senior citizens and families in need. James Anderson left his job in 2017 after he saw a home engineer treating an elderly customer “poorly”. That prompted him to start his nonprofit, Disabled and Elderly Plumbing and Heating Emergency Repair (Depher).
The next year saw Anderson and his small team of workers repair boilers, plumbing fixtures, and heating systems for more than 2,500 seniors and low-income homeowners across Lancashire, England, for free. This father-of-five raises funds through online crowdfunding donations and paid jobs from customers who want to support his mission. He has also got into more than £8,000 ($9,800) in personal debt since launching it, but he insists everything is “under control”.
“A lot of people close to me ask: why are you getting yourself in to debt? Why are you doing this? ‘To me, debt is debt,” Anderson said. “I would rather owe some money to somebody and another person be alive and happy and safe.” But thankfully, Anderson and his crew have received donations after someone published a photo of one of his invoices to social media.
The invoice was for a boiler repair that Anderson did for a 91-year-old woman suffering from acute leukemia—and Anderson wrote that the senior was not to be charged for the repairs “under any circumstances”.
Anderson deserves all the help he can get for his good deeds towards the elderly people in our society who are often treated badly for services. We must do all we can to encourage Anderson with our words and our money, so that he can go all out to continue doing good to the seniors.