Author: CNN Newsource

By Hunter Walterman

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    NAPLES, Florida (WFTX) — Paul Campbell has a big wish list this holiday season. But it’s not for him. The Naples teenager said he is collecting thousands of essential items for the homeless as part of a growing holiday tradition.

“The Amazon drivers must hate us,” Campbell said. “They dropped off so many boxes it’s crazy.”

Campbell is collecting toothpaste, socks, underwear and more that he will donate to St. Matthews House and the Hunger and Homeless Coalition of Collier County.

Campbell said the effort started seven years ago, during a family vacation. Campbell insisted on giving money to homeless people outside their hotel.

Instead, Campbell’s mother promised to find a better way to help when they returned home to the Pittsburgh area. It started with collecting socks and coats from family members.

Campbell said the collection quickly grew after the family moved to Florida three years ago. Now, Campbell has a public Amazon wish list. People can purchase an item that gets shipped to the Campbell’s home.

Campbell said he will accept items through January 12.

St. Matthew’s House said Campbell collected a record 3,000 items last year. He’s aiming for 5,000 items this time around. If he succeeds, Campbell said the family will start a nonprofit.

“It feels awesome because It’s becoming bigger and bigger each year,” Campbell said. “And I feel like I have a purpose.”

“This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Scripps editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.”

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Charlie Lapastora

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    STOCKTON, California (KOVR) — As the new year approaches, one single father is entering into 2026 with new wheels after a body shop gifted him with a refurbished car.

Simply starting up the ignition was a sound that single father Jacob Muñoz and his 12-year-old son, Lexander, hadn’t heard for about a year. Without a car, they instead utilized Uber for their transportation.

Originally from Phoenix, they moved to Stockton around three to four years ago. Jacob had his own place, then lost his job. Muñoz said he was paying child support and there were issues with that while he was caring for his son.

“It just finally all caught up,” Muñoz said. “Being a full-time parent, providing for him, providing for bills, car, not having the funds to make ends meet, and it all collapsed. It brought us here so my mom can help us gain stability again.”

Muñoz said they lost his aunt. After that, he said they were forced out of the house.

“It just forced us to kind of be homeless,” Muñoz said. “And I didn’t know what to do. I know I didn’t want to turn around. I had a purpose here because of what brought me here. And I just didn’t want to make another turn around to where I’m now struggling out there, as well. I figured if I can conquer it out here, then I can pretty much navigate elsewhere.”

Muñoz was looking for help and found it with the Family Promise of San Joaquin County, which helps families facing homelessness by providing secure, stable housing through safe shelter, caring connections, and a community of support.

On Dec. 19, after Family Promise of San Joaquin County nominated Muñoz, and after Fabian Ceballos and his team did full detailing and repairs to a donated 2017 Hyundai Sonata from Liberty Mutual, they presented Muñoz with his new car.

“Having the car has been great,” Muñoz said. “Having to go to the store because for a while I was just Door Dashing food or Walmart deliveries and you just want to go off of what you want, what you feel you want at the moment, so having to place those orders through an app was kind of frustrating at times because you had to go off of, what are you going to eat for the day, the next day, and not having that free will just wanting to pick some chips or have something that comes to mind.”

Muñoz and his son are grateful and thankful for their new ride and he wants to be able to give back to help someone else’s holiday a blessing, as well.

“When we got the car, it was Friday, he spent two days and he went back to Arizona to go spend some time with his family out there while on his vacation, so he enjoyed it,” Muñoz said. “But, he’s really looking forward to come back to be mobilized around because he’s been wanting to go out fishing and stuff out in Rio Vista. So, he’s definitely looking forward for it. We enjoy it. We love it. We’re appreciative of it.”

As is Ceballos, who’s now given out 12 refurbished cars to the community. Muñoz was part of the National Auto Body Council Recycled Rides program.

“We’ve been through those hard moments,” Ceballos, CEO of Fabian’s Collision Center, said. “I’ve been in those hard moments. And I always was looking for some help, which I received and I understood that, as I received help from the community, I was able also to give back to it. And that’s how I, luckily, was able to orchestrate all this activities to be able to make it happen, to give a vehicle, to give a tool, that can help member of the local community better his life.”

Ceballos said the donated car from Liberty Mutual was a stolen vehicle that was recovered and needed detailing and fixing up wear and tear, including the tires and brakes.

“It’s amazing,” Ceballos said. “Every single gifting that we have done throughout the years has always been a different kind of difficulty from the recipient. But, it’s always a humbling experience. Always a humbling experience. When we think that we have problems, we need to be humble about it because somebody can in be a more difficult situation than us. And that’s how I think that that should be the purpose of everybody in the community. To give whatever you can.”

Ceballos told CBS Sacramento he helped gift a car to someone who couldn’t afford repairs to pass the smog check, along with someone else who lost everything, including their car, to the Paradise Fire.

NABC Recycled Rides is a program in which businesses representing all facets of the collision repair industry team up to repair and donate vehicles to individuals and families in need of reliable transportation. Since the inception of the NABC Recycled Rides program in 2007, members of the National Auto Body Council® have donated more than 3,500 vehicles valued at some $51 million.

“The only thing that I could rely on is God when no one was there,” Muñoz said. “But, also, two, you got to find something that you’re passionate about.”

Muñoz said that could be the gym, juicing, eating, “it can be a list of things.” Muñoz found it in residential painting with his keen eye for detail and wants to help other tradesmen learn the craft and be able to give back, along with helping re-paint Stockton, giving residents some vibrancy in color throughout their homes through this rough time.

For Muñoz, not having a car was something he just got used to; he adjusted to make ends meet, remaining positive amidst it all.

“It’s been great,” Muñoz said. “I mean, nothing’s really changed, just being able to get to point A, point B, but the faith is still there, the mind is still there, to keep pushing is still there, the drive is still there, it’s just now, I got some wheels. So, it’s made it easier to job-to-job, but being in my position and God representing me the way that He does, and I’ve had those workers also help me and come and get from point A to point B to the jobs, as well, because they understand my situation. They know I’m a good father and stuff, and I’m providing, so yeah, it’s definitely all paid out. So, overall, it’s a blessing to now have a car and be appreciative.”

The drive he’s had now carries into driving his son around. On the day he was gifted the car, he picked up his son from school in the new ride, with the trunk filled with Christmas gifts donated by the community. Lexander’s favorite gift? Jacob said the Chipotle gift card because his son likes to eat.

Ceballos encourages anyone who may need help with a new vehicle to come to his shop, and he can steer you in the right direction.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Zachary Bynum

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    ATLANTA (WUPA) — A group of Buddhist monks walking more than 2,000 miles from Texas to Washington, D.C. passed through Georgia this weekend as part of a months-long Walk for Peace, drawing hundreds of supporters along the route.

The monks entered Georgia on Saturday, traveling through Troup County and spending the night in Hogansville before continuing toward Coweta County and metro Atlanta. Local law enforcement agencies, including the Troup County Sheriff’s Office and the Hogansville Police Department, escorted and assisted the group as they moved through the area.

According to Hogansville police, more than 500 people gathered to greet the monks as they arrived at their campsite, many lining the roads from West Point to Hogansville to show support for their message of peace, kindness, and compassion.

A 120-day journey for peace

The monks began their walk on Oct. 26 in Fort Worth, Texas. When CBS News Atlanta spoke with Venerable Pannakara, he said the group had been walking for more than 60 days and still had nearly two months remaining before reaching Washington, D.C.

“We are walking for peace, loving kindness, and compassion to all people,” Pannakara said. He explained that the goal of the journey is to encourage individuals and communities to cultivate peace within themselves as a step toward peace in the wider world.

The monks acknowledged the physical toll of the journey, describing blistered feet and injuries along the way, but said the support they have received from communities across the country has helped sustain them.

“We have been receiving a lot of love and support from the communities,” Pannakara said, adding that the encouragement reinforces why they believe this is “the right time” to carry out the walk.

The walk spans roughly 2,300 miles over 120 days and includes a loyal canine companion, Aloka, who travels alongside the monks.

Support — and contrasting views — along the route

As the monks moved through Georgia, they encountered a range of reactions. Many supporters joined portions of the walk or gathered along roadways to offer food, water, and words of encouragement.

CBS News Atlanta also spoke with Billy Ball, a former pastor affiliated with Grace Baptist Church in Columbus, Georgia, who said he came out to share a Christian perspective on peace.

Ball told CBS News Atlanta that while he believed the monks’ intentions were sincere, he felt compelled to express his belief that peace ultimately comes through Christianity. His comments reflected a theological disagreement but did not disrupt the walk, which continued peacefully through the area.

Billy Ball, a former pastor affiliated with Grace Baptist Church in Columbus, Georgia, says he came out to share a Christian perspective on peace. CBS News Atlanta

A message focused on unity

Despite differing viewpoints encountered along the way, the monks have emphasized that the walk is not about politics or religious conversion, but about encouraging reflection, compassion, and unity.

Law enforcement agencies that accompanied the group echoed that sentiment in social media posts, describing the walk as a reminder of the importance of respect and understanding within communities.

The monks are expected to continue their journey through metro Atlanta in the coming days before heading north toward Washington, D.C., where they plan to conclude the walk.

More information about the Walk for Peace is available through the group’s public social media pages.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Nakell Williams

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    ATLANTA (WUPA) — For nearly four years, Etoyi Ford woke up every day unsure where she would sleep that night. She lived in her car. She bounced between shelters. She parked at the far end of the lot before job interviews so that no one would see the blankets and belongings packed in the back seat. At 49, after a painful divorce, losing her job of 15 years, and surviving domestic violence, she found herself without a home and without hope.

Three weeks after moving into her new apartment at the Tunnel to Towers Atlanta Veterans Village, she said she stood in the middle of her living room and breathed — really breathed peacefully — for the first time in years. “I stood in the middle of the floor and cried. I thanked God. I kept saying, ‘This can’t be real.’ I finally feel safe.”

Etoyi Ford’s story reflects a national crisis, one that persists even amid progress. According to the latest United States Department of Veterans Affairs and United States Department of Housing and Urban Development data as of January 2024, roughly 32,882 veterans were experiencing homelessness nationwide.

In Atlanta alone, approximately 252 veterans were without stable housing. While both national and local numbers represent a decrease from the previous year, they underscore a painful reality: thousands of men and women who served the country still lack a safe place to live.

Etoyi Ford was one of them for nearly four years. She told us she remembers the exhaustion vividly. “I was mentally exhausted. I lost all hope. I felt alone, unsafe. I just kept telling myself, ‘You got this, girl. Keep going.'” She used the gym at her workplace to shower. She slept in her car until a security guard finally told her she couldn’t. “I was embarrassed. I didn’t want anyone to know I was homeless. But every day I kept pushing.”

Her life shifted when she connected with a Veterans Affairs representative at Fort McPherson, who referred her to a transitional home for veterans and domestic violence survivors. From there, she learned about the new Atlanta Veterans Village, a first-of-its-kind supportive housing development for Georgia veterans experiencing homelessness. She applied, gathered her documents, and waited. When the acceptance email arrived, she thought it was a scam. “I cried tears of joy.”

The Tunnel to Towers Foundation, with support from partners like the Home Depot Foundation, transformed a former hotel into 88 fully furnished apartment homes exclusively for homeless veterans. For Etoyi Ford, the moment she walked in, everything changed. “I don’t have to worry about noise outside. I don’t have to worry about someone knocking on my window. I cook every day. I sleep in my own bed.”

Her unit came fully furnished with bedding, cookware, and furniture allowing her to focus on healing, not survival. Ford served 10 years in the U.S. Army, including a tour in Korea. Her military experience helped shape her resilience. “If I can make it through basic training, I can make it through anything.” After years of instability, she now works supporting veterans, domestic violence survivors, seniors, and individuals navigating mental health challenges.

She has four adult children and eight grandchildren. During her homelessness, she protected them from her struggle. “My fight was my fight. I didn’t want to put that weight on my kids.” Now, with a home, she says her relationships are stronger than ever.

Ford said she hopes her story reaches other veterans living through the same hardships she endured. “Don’t give up. Get up every day and keep going. There is help out there. Move a muscle, change a thought you got this.”

Ford said she is learning to be still, to rest, and to enjoy the peace she fought so hard to reclaim. “I look around and say, ‘Girl, this is home.’ You are going to be okay.”

In August 2025, the Tunnel to Towers Atlanta Veterans Village officially opened. It has 88 fully furnished units for local veterans. They also provide case management and onsite support including mental health services, financial management education, etc.

The Home Depot Foundation contributed more than $500,000 along with over 100 volunteers who helped transform the building. For veterans like Etoyi Ford, the place is more than shelter it’s a fresh start.

For more information about the Tunnel to Towers Foundation visit t2t.org.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.