Abram Belles, a 91-year-old WWII veteran from Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, was all set to be ushered out of the home he’s lived in for almost 70 years because of an overdue tax bill. But nearly 200 people on the Internet unexpectedly rallied to his side to raise the money he needed to stay in his home.
After Belles’s wife became ill, the aged veteran fell further and further behind in his taxes, until he was so far back that he couldn’t pay it all. He was becoming resigned to the idea that his home would be auctioned off later this month and he’d lose it forever.
But a local resident, who used to clean the carpets in Belles’s home, heard of the elderly man’s plight and quickly set up a GoFundMe page to try and raise the money to help Belles keep his home.
Once neighbor John Daily set up the GoFundMe page, donations quickly poured in from well-wishers all across the country, raising the $9,000 that will help Belles pay his overdue taxes and keep his home.
“I didn’t know quite—I thought it was a joke when it first started,” Belles told the media on Thursday. “But it wasn’t, and I thank God they come along.”
“I don’t think I can thank them enough,” he added. “I’m telling you, that shocked me.”
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston, or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com.
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