Homeless man gets his Thanksgiving wish: To celebrate the day with a family
This Thanksgiving, all Neal Shytles wanted was to have dinner with family — any family.
The 54-year-old has lived in a Norfolk, Virginia, homeless shelter for two years, and said the holidays are his loneliest time. "It hurts every day of the year but on Thanksgiving and Christmas, it's 10 times worse being by yourself," he told ABC News. After talking with some friends from the shelter, he decided to put up a personal ad on Facebook, titled "Wanted: A family to share Thanksgiving with." He posted it to the pages of news sites in the area, and was interviewed by one of the stations.
Ashley McLemore watched the segment from Newport News, and she says that hearing Shytles' story "broke my heart." After conferring with her husband, McLemore extended an invitation to spend Thanksgiving lunch and dinner at her home, which Shytles happily accepted. Since his story went viral, the shelter has received an influx in donations, and Shytles has been invited to visit families across the U.S. He is looking forward to spending time in a "family atmosphere" this Thanksgiving. "That's all I ever wanted in life," he said. "I didn't ask for money. For me, it was never about the riches. I want something to take away the loneliness, where I can love people and they love me back."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
A Man on the Inside: Netflix comedy leaves you with a 'warm fuzzy feeling'
The Week Recommends Charming series has a 'tenderness' that will 'sneak up' on you
By The Week UK Published
-
Bread & Roses: an 'extraordinarily courageous' documentary
The Week Recommends Sahra Mani's 'powerful' film examines the lives of three Afghan women under the Taliban
By The Week UK Published
-
V13: a 'marvelous and terrifying' account of the Bataclan terror trials
The Week Recommends Emmanuel Carrère's work is 'absolutely gripping'
By The Week UK Published
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditions
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billion
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on record
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homes
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creature
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published