A Brookhaven minister’s simple Facebook post sparks a wave of generosity for a man who collects scrap metal to get by.
According to Daily Leader, Pastor Phillip Sterling wasn’t expecting to become the unofficial spokesperson for kindness in Brookhaven, Mississippi, but that’s pretty much what happened the moment he couldn’t ignore the sight he kept passing on the side of the road. There was a man, day after day, sitting atop an aging lawn mower that sounded like it was begging for retirement, dragging a cart filled with cans and metal scraps. Sterling noticed him once. Then again. And again. Eventually, the sight worked its way into his thoughts in that stubborn way certain things do when you know you’re supposed to pay attention.
Then came the day the old mower finally gave out. The man was walking beside it, and the whole scene looked tired. That’s when Sterling says something inside him spoke clearly: Why don’t you help him get a way to go?
Not one to ignore a nudge, the pastor opened Facebook and typed out a public message. It wasn’t polished or strategic. It was honest. He asked his community whether they might come together to buy a gas golf car for the man who rode that weary mower around the Industrial Park area. He admitted he didn’t know the man’s name. He just knew he worked hard, bothered no one, and kept plugging along despite visible hardship. He asked for positive ideas only (because Lord knows the internet provides enough of the other kind) and he asked people to share it.
Within hours, Brookhaven responded like a small town with a big heart. Comments poured in with information, connections, encouragement, and suggestions.
That’s when Sterling learned the man’s name: Al Holden.
Holden lives in a rough camp without power. He collects cans and scrap each day to make enough for food and basics, stopping to rest only when exhaustion wins. Recently, he’d even gone through open-heart surgery, yet there he was, still pulling that cart behind a mower that barely worked.
“He never asks anyone for anything,” Sterling wrote when he set up a GoFundMe page (his first ever) for someone else. The post struck a chord. Donations trickled in, then streamed in. So far, more than $2,000 has been raised, moving closer to the roughly $3,000 needed to buy Holden a reliable gas-powered golf car with a roof to protect him from the rain. Gas power matters because it eliminates the need for electricity, something Holden doesn’t have.
Sterling and a handful of volunteers have already found a car that fits the bill. What they need now is enough to finalize the purchase, plus a little extra for fuel so Holden can keep working during the colder months. Donations can be made either through GoFundMe by searching “GoFundMe Al Holden” or by contributing directly at Bank of Brookhaven under the Grace Community Church account, marked for the golf car fund.
Watching the way people rallied, Sterling said he’s been reminded that communities still step up for one another, even when schedules are full and everyone has their own problems. One man riding a failing mower caught the attention of someone who refused to look away and that refusal turned into a growing mission shared by neighbors.
Holden hasn’t asked for praise. He hasn’t asked for anything at all. But a pastor saw him, really saw him, and the town followed. And sometimes, that’s all it takes to change a man’s daily life: one person who notices, and a whole community that decides to care.
