Pods are stacked one on top of the other throughout two storage rooms at His Humble Hands.
As Denice Ariztia shuffled through the storage rooms of His Humble Hands in downtown Lenoir, she was flanked by rows of more than 40 Freedom Camper pods — each about the size of a camping tent — all gathering dust while the homeless slept on sidewalks and in the woods nearby.
After the City of Lenoir determined His Humble Hands was not following zoning regulations by allowing use of the donated camper pods in the grass at the end of their building, the nonprofit purchased land in northern Caldwell County and outside of city limits.
Now, they need help developing it into something usable.
“We need funding for the infrastructure, but it doesn’t have to be money,” said Ariztia, the CEO of His Humble Hands. “It can be somebody with the equipment that would volunteer the hours to clear the land, put in the driveways, and it’s very steep, so they have to have some level spots for the pods.”
The nonprofit already received solar panels, which will allow them to hook up at least 10 to 15 of the pods with solar power, with plans to expand the rest as a camping site.
Ariztia said the nonprofit is also exploring either digging a well or using the property’s natural springs to supply filtered water.
“We had a gentleman in today that knows how to do that kind of stuff,” she said. “He’s willing to come and help volunteer, but we don’t have the machinery to do that.”
She was hesitant to give the exact location of the property on the record before she was certain the county would allow them to use the land.
Once all the work is finished, she said His Humble Hands will have to request a special use permit from Caldwell County, since the space will become a campground, with someone from the nonprofit living on-site, supervising the area, and keeping it clean.
There is enough space for up to two adults, should a couple or a parent with children be in need of transitional housing.
Ariztia said many people end up homeless because “they lose their job, they have an accident, they have to have surgery, whatever, and lose their place. The majority of the newest ones are the ones you don’t see, which are the single parents with kids and (the) elderly, because they just can’t afford to live anymore.”
According to Ariztia, the pods, donated by Redneck Blinds, are built for a single occupant, but can sleep up to two adults.
“We want it to be a safe spot for women with children — or anybody with children to sleep at night,” she said, explaining that the pods have two-way locks, meaning families don’t have to worry about intruders in the middle of the night.
“We’re praying to have at least some of it up and running by winter,” Ariztia said.
WHAT IS HIS HUMBLE HANDS?
“We are the people, when there’s a need and they don’t know what to do, they call us — even other organizations call us or send people here,” Ariztia said.
She explained that sometimes people are directed there from places like the domestic violence shelter where, after getting into an apartment, the nonprofit gives them furniture for their new homes.
“Since we moved here, we don’t do the food pantry like we used to, we let people come in and ask,” Ariztia said, pointing to boxes of shelf-stable food. “We don’t require you to have an excuse. We don’t require you to have a W-2. … If a 60-year-old lady comes in, having knee-replacement surgery, and needs extra food to get her through for a few weeks till she can walk again, we can do that.”
“That’s why we did it that way. Everybody doesn’t fit in a box.”
SUCCESS STORY
As Ariztia explained what the pods were for, Joseph Twist sat at the front of the thrift store, greeting customers and helping with their purchases.
Joseph Twist said that without the support of His Humble Hands, he’d be dead.
Twist used to be homeless and “strung out on meth.” According to Twist, His Humble Hands not only helped him get sober five years ago through support but also helped to direct his life into one of giving back.
“I didn’t know which way to go, which way to turn,” Twist said, a breathing tube running from his nose as he wiped tears from his eyes. “They gave me love. They built me up. They gave me confidence.”
Twist and his wife, Alice Fuston, now work full time with the nonprofit, often the first on-site, sorting items and cleaning the store before opening at 10 a.m.
Since Twist started working with His Humble Hands, he often drives around Lenoir, giving out supplies and money to those in need, hoping to spread the word about the nonprofit.
He points everything back to that first meeting, when the nonprofit insisted he take a box of clothes and other items.
“To me, to be able to do this is a blessing,” Twist said. “Just me being here is a blessing, because if it hadn’t been for them, I would not be here. I’d be done; I’d have been dead a long time ago.”
