Every morning, David Hendon and Marc Gervais wake up before the sun rises and diligently get to work on an Oceanside, California, street. They always show up with brooms, buckets, and sifters to clear away trash from the night before. And they do it voluntarily!
This act of kindness would be incredible coming from anyone, but it’s especially amazing considering the two of them are living out of a van with their pup.
Despite being homeless, David and Marc consider the community to be theirs – and feel it’s their responsibility to keep it looking beautiful!
They have been cleaning this particular area every morning for about four years now without anyone recognizing what they were doing. Their activism only came to light when Mark Pacana, a stranger in New Jersey, noticed the pair on a surf cam.
Mark, who hopes to move to San Diego one day, checks out the surf cam on a regular basis. He soon discovered that a van pulled up every morning before two men hopped out and made the space shine. Impressed by their dedication, Mark called up a local news station to share their story, which quickly picked up speed!
When a reporter asked David and Marc what inspires them to wake up and clean the streets, Marc said, “We are homeless, not moral-less. My dad taught me the first time I went fishing you always make a place look better than when you got there.”
Another contributing factor is their dog Pico. “People come down here at night … and break bottles, and you know we are dog lovers, and I hate to see a dog step on a piece of glass and cut their paws,” Marc added.
As word of their kindness began to spread, their neighbors reached out to see how they could help. They created a GoFundMe to raise money for van repairs and basic necessities, and it really took off. Now, they’ve received over $28,000 in donations, a well-deserved display of gratitude for their years of hard work!
“We are both very grateful to all of [our] supporters,” they wrote in an update. “We will still be there cleaning the beach. [Our] life has been changed for the better. Thank you, thank you. Thank you.”
What an incredible way to give back to the place they live! Learn more about them in the video below, and don’t forget to share this story to make someone smile today.
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