Personal trainer gives back by feeding the homeless

Over 200 sandwiches and 500 drinks. This is the job for one Fresno man and his team of volunteers.

Jerral Brown’s real job is a personal trainer, but he decided he wanted to make a change in the homeless community.

“I just want to give back,” Brown says. “I feel like if you have it, you should because if I was down and out I would want somebody to give back to me as well.”

Brown’s personal connection with the homeless is another reason why he is doing this. It’s the possibility of seeing his own family. Brown says the thought seeing them is hard to think about.

“It hurts. It’s strange. It’s crazy because we all grew up kind of the same, but just one wrong decision will change everything,” Brown says.

Brown packed up the truck, and then he and his team went to tent city, where for many the sidewalk is considered home.

Some choose to live on the streets. Others don’t have a choice.  Whether it’s escaping one harsh reality to go to another, to them this is where they call home.

Te’szhia Walker says she volunteers to help Brown because she wants to help.

“People go through hard times,” Walker says. “You never know what someone has gone through, and you always want to help as much as you can, but sometimes you just gotta give what got.”

Andrew Brand is a homeless man who lives in tent city. He says people don’t realize that they live there for many reasons.

“We’re all humans,” Brand says. “Each person out here has merit in their lives. They do mean something, and they are somebody. They could be somebody’s mother, father, son or daughter, but a lot of them are here not by choice, but by circumstance. Some are here running from abusive relationships–men and women. Some are here chasing the drugs. Some are here because they think it’s an easy way to make money on the people that are suffering, and it’s not right,”

Regardless of the circumstances, Brown has one thing in mind–to make an impact.

“Hopefully like, they’ll try to eat a little better, be a little healthier, be a little cleaner and you never know who you’re going to touch. So hopefully, this touches someone,” Brown said.

All it takes is one bag of food and one drink to make a change in their lives.