SAN ANTONIO – A local veteran who has battled homelessness for several years is hoping his story inspires others to donate to the San Antonio Food Bank during Hunger Action Month.
Christopher Dupler, 56, knows all too well what it is like to not have a place to live.
He has struggled with being homeless for 15 years.
“I have been up and down so many times,” Dupler said. “I get up and get on my feet. Start doing better and then something comes along and knocks me back down to a deep depression.”
Fortunately, with the help of a non-profit organization and family endeavors, he now lives in a duplex that houses other homeless veterans.
“It has been easier being homeless,” he said “I just got tired of it. Right now, I am trying to get my mindset back.”
With homelessness comes hunger which Dupler knows as well.
It is what forced him to walk through the San Antonio Food Bank’s doors. It was there he realized that the non-profit is more than just a meal on the table.
“It is a helping hand,” Dupler said. “That is what this world needs. A lot of helping hands. The food bank helps people. It helps families, especially kids. People don’t realize it, but if it wasn’t for kids, this world would stop. Those kids are our future.”
Dupler says he is now working to get his commercial driver’s license to join a trucking company.
He hopes his story of obstacles encourages others to donate to the San Antonio Food Bank.
“Help out,” he said. “Have some compassion. We are all in this world together.”