SPECIAL REPORT: Tom & Cranky: Their journey from homelessness to hope
Danyelle Burke North
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – Locals are rallying to support a local man and his dog who were separated after being homeless for several years.
Tom and Cranky have been facing the harsh journey of homelessness together. Nothing could keep them apart, even when the world once tried.
Tom and Cranky are familiar faces in the Yuma community. They’ve been living by the local Yuma Walmart parking lot for several years, but people noticed something was up when they didn’t see him or his belongings around anymore.
“Someone messaged me on Facebook and said Tom’s getting arrested right now,” said Courtney Sellers, Tom’s friend.
“They had given him two weeks notice to vacate, and he did not abide by that, so that’s when all it took place, and he was arrested and then taken away,” said Tom’s friend Zarmineh Begijanian Moody, Tom’s friend.
Strangers Sellers and Moody met at Tom’s court and realized they were both there for Tom. They then worked together to help bring him back home to Cranky.
“Saturday, we found them in the hotel, and then Sunday, we went to the Humane Society, got Cranky, brought him over here,” said Moody.
The ladies posted Tom and Cranky’s journey on social media. Their friendship sparked a lot of generosity from the community to help find them a home.
The hotel owner Carlos Desouza shares how amazing it is to see all the visitors stop by and the community outpour of love.
“The sense of community that we’ve seen here has made us so happy,” said Carlos. “It’s incredible and to meet all those people that’s one thing. To me, Tom is another thing. He’s a character. It’s super fun. So I love that experience,” said Desouza.
If you would like to help Tom and Cranky and their housing needs, you can donate at the Oyo Arizona Inn and Suites in Yuma to help get them through the summer.
They say their main needs right now are water and grocery gift cards.