A mother took it upon herself to help a shy homeless teen she discovered sitting on cinder blocks just outside her home.
Elly Pimentel, 31, first saw the unknown boy near her home in Washington state in August.
The divorced mother of two sons, ages six and five, didn’t think much of it at the time, and most importantly, she understood that the teen needed a place to rest his head, even if it was on her property.
‘I was in a marching band. I get it. My sidewalk is your sidewalk. It’s free bends,” she said People.
When September arrived, Pimentel, a communications manager at Adventurer Manufacturing, started seeing the teen more often and decided she wanted to help, leaving him handwritten notes and essentials.
Elly Pimentel, 31, decided to help a homeless teen after seeing him at her home in Washington state in August
She then documented her journey on TikTok and revealed that she was a little unsure of what her next step should be after finding him, as she kept her children’s safety in mind.
“There was a very clear separation in my mind: I am a person and that is a person, and we both have to take care of ourselves in this world,” she said.
“Then the immediate next thought was, ‘Okay, but what if this goes wrong?’ Then I grabbed my phone and decided to record what I was going to do.”
From the day she saw the teen, Pimentel took to her page and showed her followers exactly what she wanted to do for him.
She first built him a care package in a plastic crate with items including perishables, a sleeping bag, pillow, toiletries and energy drinks.
The mother also included a note for him, letting him know she was nearby if he needed his clothes.
“I wrote a note in both English and Spanish. I wanted to make it clear that this wasn’t a trap.
“I don’t have extensive experience with the unhoused population, but I know there is a certain amount of caution that comes with living moment to moment,” she told the outlet.
After leaving the most important items and a note for him, Pimentel received this message from the teen, telling her what he needed and how grateful he was
While she graciously volunteered her time and resources, Pimentel emphasized that she wanted to make sure no boundaries were crossed.
“I tried to walk a fine line between making it available to him without obligation. I do it because I see you, and if it benefits you, great.
‘If you want to sleep on the veranda, that’s fine too. But if you want to improve your situation, here are these things, without any pressure,” Pimentel said.
In one clip, she said her need to help him stemmed from being in foster care when she was younger, noting that she “didn’t have the best upbringing.”
Although she never shared his name or key details about the teen, Pimentel learned that he dropped out of high school his senior year and plans to get his GED.
In one excerpt, she read a note he sent back to her, revealing that he dreams of one day taking up welding or going into mechanics.
In her videos, she often showed the teen ringing the doorbell to talk to her, but she was often not home or at work at the time.
He soon left a note on the receipt on her front door telling her what he needed, after which the thoughtful mother went to make him a new package.
After confiding that his backpack had been stolen, she went to the store and bought him a new one, stocked with extra clothes, more toiletries, and body wipes.
She left the bag hanging on the fence door in her garden so it could be protected, but as the days passed the bag was never touched.
In October, Pimentel finally met him in person and learned more about his backstory.
‘I have done my best to keep that information confidential. “He was very vulnerable and shared sensitive details,” she said.
After confiding that his backpack had been stolen, she went to the store and bought him a new one, stocked with extra clothes, more toiletries, and body wipes.
‘That led to a ninety-minute conversation in which he explained what was going on.
‘I made him aware that we had to take the next steps. I started calling resources and gathering information for that next step.”
Pimentel then called the police, who instructed her to call back the next day so a Designated Crisis Resource Officer (DCR) could assist.
She also called a nearby shelter and asked about availability for him.
In her latest video, Pimentel revealed that she did what she could to help him, but the teen needed more than what she could provide.
Despite ending her selfless journey, she said she really appreciates all the advice she’s received from her online followers.
“A lot of people have said I did something good or complimented me as a person when I literally did the bare minimum.
“A lot of people are praising me for this, and I’d say the majority of comments reflect that. That’s not why I did it, but I appreciate all the good feedback,” she said.
While many people praised her for her work, others suggested she let him move in with her or buy him a tent to camp in her yard.
She said the “overarching theme” from her experience is that, compared to her typical “get ready with me” or “pack with me” videos, this made her realize that it’s more important to “just notice what’s going on is gone’.
Although she has never done so, with her boys in mind, she said, “It’s fascinating to watch this discourse unfold, with people grappling with similar questions, like whether to use a sleeping bag or a pillow.”
‘They work together in a split second on some of the dilemmas I faced.’
Her generous decisions have also been noticed by her young children, as she told the newspaper they asked her why she left notes.
“I try to have conversations with my kids about noticing things and putting themselves in someone else’s shoes.
“Ultimately, that’s what I hope people take away from my experience,” she said.
She added that the “overarching theme” from her experience is that, compared to her typical “get ready with me” or “pack with me” videos, this made her realize that it’s more important to “just notice what is around us’.
“Even taking the first step to recognize someone as a fellow human being is significant progress,” Pimentel said.
