Oswald Arballo, who owns Ozzy’s Plumbing and Drains, has clients all over San Diego County. But during Christmas time, his plumbing trucks don't go out to unclog drains, they go out and help out the homeless community.
For more than 15 years Arballo and his company have been handing out food, hygiene products, clothes, and other goods to the homeless in San Diego.
He said it started when he saw a homeless man eating out of a trash can and felt compelled to help him out.
“It touches your heart and it makes them feel great,” Arballo said.
Arballo said he reaches out to his customers every year to see if they are willing to donate any goods.
In the past, Sprouts, Esperanza’s Tortilleria in Escondido, and other local charities have helped with food donations.
“We show them pictures of past events on how we feed the homeless, and it touches their hearts and they say, ‘ok I’m on board, what can I do?’” Arballo said. “There are times they bring crates of milk, juices, tortillas, and bread.”
Arballo even has his own employees, family and friends cook meals and prepare the goodie bags.
Everything is cooked, nothing is bought. Everything we give them is made fresh
Oswald Arbalo- Ozzy's Plumbing and drains
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He loads up his company trucks with all the donations and stops at street corners in downtown and starts handing them out.
Arballo said he was approached by a homeless man he helped a couple of years ago saying that his donations really helped him. That homeless man now has a job and somewhere to stay.
“The response that we get from them, it doesn’t matter, whether they accept it or not. It’s just that we are paying forward what should happen more often and that is love,” said Maria Rodriguez, an employee with the company.
To view this story in Spanish from our sister station Telemundo 20, click here.
