Life
Retired Teacher Dedicates His Life To Helping Those In Need
This 74-year-old man retired and then started a mission that brought me to tears.
Randy Aragon
11.08.19

The homeless epidemic is getting worse and worse, with very few resources to help them and no reinforcements on the way. That’s what makes citizens like the one in this story, true heroes for what they do. Every night he hands out sandwiches and other necessities to the homeless.

In just one year he handed out 520,000 sandwiches! The selfless man has been doing this for over 12 years and plans on doing it for the rest of his life.

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‘The Sandwich Man’ drives around Minnesota every night, handing out food and other essentials to the homeless

Allan Law, is a retired teacher from Minnesota, Minneapolis. For years he taught the inner city youths of Minnesota until he retired in 1999. That’s when he started to take a special interest in the homeless people of his city.

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Eventually, it morphed into an every night thing, Allan got a mini-van just so he could fit all the food and supplies he was accumulating for the homeless. On the side of the van are the words “Love One Another.”

“He’s helping generation after generation of people, and he’s been a fixture for 45-years in the community. He’s a rolling, problem solving, care center on four wheels,” said Steven Aase, from Minneapolis Recreation Development.

Allan knows how important the night time can be, when all the shelters and resources dry up, he comes to the rescue.

Winter in Minnesota is brutal, with freezing temperatures, Allan sets out to make sure everyone has gloves, coats, and food. He never takes a night off, he knows how important what he does is and is fully dedicated.

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“I’ve been working here for 5-years, he’s been coming here, bringing sandwiches, coats, and blankets.” Said Kevin Carroll, a security guard at the Salvation Army. He went on to say: “He exemplifies for everyone else to follow, this is what we’re supposed to do, to help, to give, to share, to love.”

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Allan hasn’t slept in a regular bed in almost 13-years. The front seat of his mini-van is where he gets his rest.

What he does is too important for rest, Allan only gets a few hours of sleep a night and sleeps in the front seat of his mini-van every single night. Even with his doctor telling him to stop working nights, the mission he is on is way too critical for him to listen.

“You know where I sleep at night? In the front seat, I haven’t slept in a bed in 13-years, not one night. This is what I have to do for the rest of my life.” Allan said, while talking to a group of kids he was dropping off supplies to.

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Allan’s organization is run by volunteers, they helped prepare and deliver sandwiches to over half a million people.

The volunteer-led organization had 700 community groups that deliver sandwiches. Homeless people all over the city depend on Allan, like clockwork, he’s always there.

We need more people like this to step-up, the homeless crisis is only getting worse and people like Allan and his volunteers are making a huge difference.

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The motto he lives by is “somebody has to care.” Watch his inspiring story below.

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