Drew Ritter, who runs a homeless ministry and is no stranger to good works, recently decided to once again solidify his good samaritan status after learning that a hardworking dad in his community was in desperate need of a car.
Ritter frequently visits Lowes Homes Improvement in Wilmington, North Carolina, for work. That’s where he spoke with Lowe’s employee Eric Lengeni. Like so many Americans, Lengeni, 48, fell on hard times during the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing him to bike to work each and every day, regardless of the weather.
This journey — which is between eight and 10 miles each way — can be a dangerous feat, as there are no bike lanes.
At first, Lengeni asked Ritter if he knew of any cars for sale, and Ritter said he had a vehicle he could sell him for $1,500. But when Ritter learned more about Lengeni’s situation, he felt called by God to simply donate the vehicle.
“I felt in my heart and God telling me I need to give him this car,” he explained.
Ritter, who said the car needed some work, took to GoFundMe to ask for $2,000 to repair the vehicle before donating it.
“I have a roof over my head, food on the table, a healthy family and everything else I need. God always provides for me and my family and now it’s time to give back,” Ritter wrote in his GoFundMe appeal. “It’s going to cost about $2,000 to fix it up so I can give him a good working car. Any help would be awesome!”
He ended up exceeding his goal, raising $3,200 to fix up his Jeep and then gifted the vehicle to the hardworking man.
Lengeni and Ritter hugged after he gave him the car, with the kind deed having a profound impact on both men. Ritter took to Facebook to say he had “cried four times” since watching the segment about his kind deed — and he also got emotional during the interview itself.
“I didn’t know how important this car was for this guy until I watched it on tv!! Wow!!” he said on Facebook. “I want to bring awareness to everyone can help those in need on a smaller scale!!”
As for Lengeni, he is elated that he’ll now be able to spend more time with his 7-year-old son and family and less time biking to and from work.
“It will help me out because I have a seven-year-old son,” he said. “I’d just like to see him more often. Knowing I don’t have a car, it was really hard for me to see him. Now that I have a car, I can see him more often.”