Thanksgiving is a special time where people gather together with family to enjoy a festive dinner. But for one homeless man, this used to be one of the hardest days of the year, until he published an advertisement to ask for a Thanksgiving adoption.
Neal Shytles, of Norfolk, Virginia, had never thought Thanksgiving Day would end up being one of the loneliest days for him until he lost his job as a taxi driver and ended up at the Union Mission Ministries men’s shelter.
Having stayed there for over a year, he was in need of a “family atmosphere,” and decided to create a personal advertisement titled “Wanted: A family to share Thanksgiving with.”
Soon, NewsChannel 3 shared his story and people from across the country started responding to his simple request.
The first person who responded was a 7th-grade English teacher named Ashley McLemore. “In the teaser was the quote that said ‘I’m lonely 365 days a year,’ which absolutely broke my heart,” McLemore said. “I called my husband and asked if he would mind having him with us for Thanksgiving.”
McLemore and her husband, Cory, are from a military family and understand what it feels like to be alone on holidays.
On that Thanksgiving morning, the couple picked Shytles up from the shelter and took him to their home to spend the day and enjoy a Thanksgiving meal together.
Shytles even received a surprise from Cory’s co-workers.
“They have actually donated $400 directly to you. And this was done in two days. They did everything they could to help you out,” Cory told him.
“You didn’t have to do this. I just wanted a meal,” said an emotional Shytles.
“That’s all I ever wanted in life,” Shytles told ABC News. “I didn’t ask for money. For me, it was never about the riches. I want something to take away the loneliness, where I can love people and they love me back.”
