South Sound News

Homeless man turns in $17,000 cash he found outside local food bank

By Allison Needles, The News Tribune
By Allison Needles, The News Tribune

SUMNER, Wash. — 12/12 UPDATE: Kevin Booth has enjoyed his time in the spotlight.

Two weeks ago, Booth, who's experiencing homelessness, was recognized for turning in $17,000 in cash he found outside the Sumner Food Bank over the summer.

Now, Booth finds himself in possession of another large sum of money — this time, more than $14,000 in GoFundMe donations.

In an interview with The Puyallup Herald this week, Booth had something he wanted to say to those who reached out to support him.

"I want to thank them and wish them all a happy holiday," he said.

That's not all. With the funds raised, he said he wants to get himself a place to live.

The GoFundMe was started Nov. 29, the day the Sumner Food Bank and the Sumner Police Department publicly recognized Booth for his actions. Sumner community member Desiree' Almonte created the page, which has raised more than $14,325 by 419 people as of Dec. 12, with a goal of $17,000.

Almonte told The Herald through Facebook messages that she first met Booth at her father's neighbor's house in Sumner and felt compelled to help him.

In an update earlier this week, Almonte wrote that Booth came to visit for "tree decorating and eggnog."

Booth said he liked that Almonte started the page and that he was surprised by all the donations that flooded in after his story was shared.

He wasn't the only one.

Booth's mother, Cathy Johnson, said Booth told her what happened when he first found the money. She told him it was a good choice to turn it in — that's just the kind of person he is, she said — but didn't think too much about it after that. Not until months later, when she saw her son on the news.

"I was going through the news posts, and there's my son's face. I said, 'Wow!' I was really surprised," she said.

Johnson reached out to The News Tribune in an email on Dec. 7, wanting to thank everyone who donated to Booth, echoing Booth's hopes that he'll find a home with the funds.

"I would like to post a public thank you to the Food Bank, Sumner Police and the many people who donated to go fund me," Johnson wrote. "I'm Kevin's mom and I want people to know how thankful I am for recognizing Kevin and what he did. For the money people donated to the fund, I would like to see Kevin get a place to live. It would be good to know that he doesn't have to be out in the weather at night."

Johnson met with The Herald this week, sharing pictures of Booth from his childhood and his time as a student at Sumner High School, where he graduated in 2004. She shared that Booth was diagnosed with autism when he was 3, and in his late teens, an abscess tumor was found in his brain and had to be removed.

His disability and the aftermath of the surgery made it difficult to keep a steady job. As for housing, Booth kept being turned down after a credit check.

"Kevin will go ahead and spend 40 or 50 dollars for the credit check and get turned down," Johnson said. "After a while, you give a couple hundred dollars to be told no all the time and you give up."

Booth, who receives Supplemental Security Income (SSI), would lose his disability benefits if he grows assets worth more than $2,000, according to the Social Security Administration. Johnson worried the GoFundMe money would cause that — but then she learned about the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act.

Passed by Congress in 2014, ABLE savings accounts are "a way to save for eligible expenses, invest for the future and keep the benefits you rely on every day," according to the Washington State ABLE website.

"For too long, people with disabilities could not save for the future out of fear of losing needed government benefits," states the website.

Johnson says they're working on a plan to move forward with the money and wants people to know that "the funds are going to benefit him."

"I just am really surprised and stunned by how much people have reached out to him and the kind words," Johnson said.

Currently, Booth is couch surfing with some friends and said he'd gladly accept housing offers.

After he finds a place to stay, Booth said, the next step would be to get his driver's license and a vehicle.

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​Original story:  
A surprise was waiting for Kevin Booth when he made an early-morning stop at the Sumner Food Bank three months ago.

Booth, who's homeless, found a brown bag on the ground outside the food bank's community bread box.

"At first, I was like, what the heck is that lying on the ground?" Booth, 32, said in a recent interview. 

He put the bag on a trash can and reached inside.

He pulled out a $20 bill.

"Of course, I sniffed it to see if it was real," he said. "Then I was like, do I take off or do I stay?"

He stayed.

When a food bank volunteer arrived a short time later he gave the bag to her, not realizing what was inside, said the food bank's director, Anita Miller.

"She went in to weigh it, thinking it was food," Miller said.

It wasn't food. It was $17,000 in cash.

Stunned, they called police. Officers determined the money was real and used security cameras to try to figure out what had happened. They couldn't determine who dropped off the bag, but they did see who found it.

"I got stopped later by (officers) and they told me what was in there and I just about fainted," Booth said. "I've never touched that much money and I don't think I ever will again."

Police kept the cash for 90 days, the length of time required under state law for someone to make a claim of ownership.

No one did, so the money went to the food bank, which plans to use it to expand its building at 15625 Main St. E. where it serves about 1,000 people a month.

To thank Booth for his honestly, Miller gave him part of the money in gift cards as a reward.

"I believe a hand-up is what we should be doing with our homeless," Miller said. "All of us who are trying to help should think about that."

Make no mistake — it was a hard decision to give up the money, Booth said.

He's lived in the Sumner area for 19 years, and been homeless off and on for 7 1/2 of them, often staying down by the White River. He occasionally stops by the food bank to get something to eat from the bread box.

Police Chief Brad Moericke said officers know Booth well from around town.

"We've always had a good relationship," the chief said.

Moericke presented Booth with a citizens citation Thursday, noting that Booth told officers he knew giving the money to the food bank would benefit more people than just himself.

"Not every citizen would be as honest as you in this situation," Moericke told him.

Booth said it felt good to be recognized by his hometown, and said he knows the food bank will put the money to good use.

"There are a lot of people who would have taken it," Booth said. "I'm just not that person."

After hearing about his story, a GoFundMe was started by a Sumner resident to raise money for Booth, with his permission.

The News Tribune

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