Fremont Retiree Feeds The Homeless
FREMONT (KPIX 5) Once a week, the homeless in Fremont line up for a free, hot meal courtesy of this week's Jefferson Award winner.
When Stan Peters retired 14 years ago, he wanted to show that everyone can do something to help people... and he wanted to make sure his autistic son felt that too.
"Every Wednesday we fix about five gallons of chili and five gallons of pozole, which is a hominy soup," said Stan Peters. " And then John fixes maybe 70 or 80 hot dogs."
John is Peters' son, who has autism.
"I wanted something that my son and I could do together and he needs to have a feeling of being socially useful and this is a really good thing to do for that," Peters explained.
After ten years of cooking at a homeless shelter, Peters wanted to go it alone.
"Now we're kind of doing 'gorilla' good works," he said. "We kind of sneak out and without any organization, we help feed homeless people."
For four years now, Peters has been buying all his own ingredients for his homemade soup and chili. He spends seven hours perfecting each batch. Then he and John load it up, along with bottled water and donated pastries, and head to Fremont's Bill Ball Plaza.
About 30 to 40 people regularly show up.
"Chili! Hot, nice, good tasting chili," remarked recipient John Row. "Thank You!"
"I like his chili," added recipient Ricky. "I love his chili."
Volunteer Mike Burns has been helping Peters and his son for the last 13 years
"They're acting out their Christian faith, taking care of people that need to be taken care of," Burns said.
As long as people show up, Peters says he'll keep bringing food, and a message.
"My big hope is that people will see what we're doing and see 'Wow, anybody can go out and help people,'" he said.
So for feeding the homeless a healthy, hot meal every week, this week's Jefferson Award in the Bay Area goes to Stan Peters.
