Dave Gives Back

Five years ago, Dave lived at the Dignity Village homeless camp in north Portland. Last week, he was buying gas for customers at a West Linn Chevron station.

Dave said he couldn’t have overcome the challenges he faced without the kindness of others. He’s hoping his generosity will encourage others to “pay it forward,” echoing his good deeds.

“I wouldn’t be where I am today if I hadn’t had the same thing done for me,” he said Friday afternoon at the gas station. With the death of his mother, Dave said he came into “a little more money than a guy like me should have.”

While he considered donating to a nonprofit group, he ultimately figured doing good deeds could multiply the benefits. “If I buy people $50 worth of gas and five of those people reach out and touch five more people, the world will be a whole lot better,” he said.

West Linn resident Marie Larson was so overwhelmed by the random generosity that tears streamed down her face as she thanked Dave on Friday. She said the kind gesture was especially meaningful, given her 3-year-old daughter spent a week at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital recently with a kidney infection.

How will she pay it forward? With toys, she said. After leaving Doernbecher, her daughter requested they go back and bring the other children gifts.

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Once you begin to acknowledge random acts of kindness,

both the ones you have received and the ones you have given ,

you can no longer believe that what you do does not matter

--Dawna Markova