https://archive.triblive.com/news/double-amputee-marine-raises-nearly-25k-for-homeless-veterans-group/
Double-amputee Marine raises nearly $25K for homeless veterans group
Evan Sanders | Trib Total Media
According to Merriam-Webster, homeless means having no place to live. It is estimated that roughly 32% of the homeless veteran population, reside in suburban/rural areas.
Four empty, brown paper bags sat on a conference table.
A shocked look appeared to be frozen on Monica Robertson's face at Veterans Place of Washington Boulevard in Pittsburgh.
“I can't thank you enough,” Robertson repeatedly told Brandon Rumbaugh, 26, a double-amputee Marine veteran.
He smiled and quipped: “You can keep the bags, too.”
Rumbaugh dumped nearly $25,000 in cash out of the paper bags at the nonprofit's office.
Rumbaugh raised the money while living on a cot at George C. Marshall Memorial Plaza in Uniontown during November. He did so to raise awareness of homeless veterans.
The idea came to him on a sleepless night. He wanted to learn what it is truly like to live without a home.
Rumbaugh crossed paths with plenty of strangers who helped him achieve his goal. The money he raised throughout the month will help Veterans Place, which aids homeless veterans, to make a difference.
Evan Sanders is a Trib Total Media photographer. Reach him at esanders@tribweb.com.
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