When you’re walking down the street, it’s hard to tell the good people from the bad. They wear the same clothes as the rest of us.
That’s why we have to appreciate it so much when the good folks out there get pointed out. That’s why we have to recognize folks like James Anderson.
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When Christine Rowlands’ 91-year-old mother needed her boiler fixed, she couldn’t have called a better plumber.
James Anderson responded to the call and found the troublesome boiler leaking and promptly fixed it. As he left, Christine asked him how much it would cost. He said he’d send her an invoice.
When she received it, she couldn’t help posting the invoice on Facebook.
It’s easy to see why she’d want to share this with the world.
After learning that Christine’s mother was 91 and had acute leukemia, not only did he not charge for the service call, but he pledged to come out and take care of her boiler any time she needed it.
“As a friend said, an Angel dressed as a plumber,” Christine wrote on Facebook.
As it turns out, this is not the first time James has made such a gesture.
In fact, it’s all a service he provides through Depher, a non-profit he set up in 2017 to provide plumbing and heating help to the elderly and disabled. Christine and her family are far from the only lives he has touched.
James is committed to his mission.
“There are too many elderly and disabled people suffering in silence,” he told the BBC . “They don’t like asking for help. They don’t want to be a burden. We take away the burden, the stigma.”
James was inspired to start Depher after he saw an engineer in his area “manipulating” an elderly gentleman.
“It got me thinking about other elderly and vulnerable people — we need to do something more to help the people who need it most,” he told CNN .
Needless to say, he’s been busy since setting up Depher.
He’s kept count and, since March 2017, Depher has helped 2,389 people. That’s a lot of demand for him to keep up with.
And giving away services hasn’t always been easy.
It’s basically donations and crowdfunding that has allowed Depher to operate as it does, and James says Depher had still racked up £8,000 (almost $10,000 U.S.) in debt over the years, costs that he maintains are under control thanks to a system he’s worked out with his bank.
Since Christine’s message and image of her invoice went viral, however, kindness has repaid kindness.
Depher’s GoFundMe page has been inundated with donations and, at present, has raised more than £18,000 (almost $30,000).
A grateful James posted on his Facebook, saying “Thank you so much for your support and words from the bottom of my heart. What you have done will truly save many people from the nightmare of being alone in the cold, your generosity will save lives and now make this possible on a wider scale.”
But even if the funding wasn’t there, James would still be out there helping out people in need.
“As long as I have enough money to fill up the tank in my car, I will be there to try and help the people who need it,” he said.
Of course, he has higher hopes for Depher than that. “It makes me feel human, humble and a little giddy inside… I want to expand this service across the country.” he told CNN . “I will never give up the fight.”
