Leonard Bullock, 75, and his wife Dorothy have lived near a railroad yard in Pendleton, Oregon since 1982, and they haven’t always had the funds to keep their house in good condition.
Josh Cyganik, a railway worker, had waved to Leonard from his porch almost daily for four years, but they hadn’t spoken until last month, when Josh overheard two teenagers making fun of the house.
The teens were saying the house was so run-down it should be burned. Josh saw Leonard’s reaction and knew he’d heard them too.
A few days later, Josh offered to repaint the house with some friends, getting a hardware store to donate supplies. He then posted about it on Facebook, and over a hundred people volunteered to help that Saturday.
They painted the house, fixed the porch, made it wheelchair accessible, and bought everything needed to replace the roof, which is still being worked on.
Josh says that around 10:00 P.M. that night, one of his friends drove by and saw Leonard and Dorothy still on their porch, smiling.