The sun was not even up yet as Otis Houston wriggled his key into the ignition one more time hoping for any signs from his rusty green 1995 Buick LeSabre would roar back to life.
With a 12-mile commute for his 5 a.m. morning shift looming ahead at a local welding company, the aging sedan failed the 45-year-old OKC resident once again. Waking up to go to work became a daily exercise of Russian roulette between Houston and his capricious car.
Indeed, keeping up with auto repairs and expenses for the past year eventually threw Houston and his family into a pitfall of instability relying on friends all over town for a place to stay.
Despite reeling from these setbacks, Houston and his family continued to carry on with their lives as normally as possible while getting back on their feet—starting with a newly acquired lease on an apartment and a working car (for now).
In helping to continue the momentum, Thunder guard Dion Waiters looked to stockpile groceries for the Houston family this past Monday, courtesy of Homeland.
Waiters’ compassion was in full effect once again as he careened the aisles filling cart after cart with the family of Otis Houston and Dewanda Williams along with sons Dwight Houston and 14-year-old LV in tow.
"I know what they're probably going through, and any time I get a chance to help and give back and just be a part of something like this is very special to me,” Waiters said.
Going on a splurge was something the cost-conscious Houston family was not used to. So there was some initial trepidation on picking out the items alleviated with Waiters encouraging them to get whatever they needed.
“He was awesome. I didn’t think a person could be so nice and generous as he was,” Houston said. “I knew there was a limit but he said, ‘Forget it. Don’t worry about it.’”
From there, whatever reservations the family had about the shopping expedition were set aside as Waiters and the family refocused on a unique opportunity to overcome a recent spate of difficulties, starting with food and supplies to help them during a time of transition.
“He was a huge blessing. He comfort me and told me to get everything that I needed,” Williams said. “I don’t know what to say about this. I just thank Dion for everything.”
Even though Williams was struggling for words to describe her relief amid difficult times, Waiters could feel the collective exhale from the family as they pluck out items after items. Empathizing with their circumstances, Waiters was happy to oblige in providing a positive shopping experience to help the Houstons return to normalcy.
“I’ve been in these type of situations before,” Waiters said. “It probably takes a lot of stress off of them.”
Several full carts later, another surprise was in store for the family as Waiters presented them an additional $500 Homeland gift card slacking the faces in front of him followed by gratifying hugs and hand slaps all around.
As Homeland employees helped pile bags and bags of groceries into their Buick, young Thunder fan LV was still buzzing afterwards and excited about the prospects of having one less thing to worry about.
“With the food we have right now, it would last us for a long time,” LV said. “It means a lot to us because we really needed.”
Marveling at the generosity of Waiters, Houston was ready to take his family and emerge from a precarious standing with the boost from the day.
“That’s one good person. We need more of him in this world,” Houston said. “We’ll have a great Easter coming up.”
Full Video: Waiters Provides Relief for OKC Family