Like he does almost every day, Jimmie Thomas sat at his corner spot around 5 a.m. He sells local newspapers, which he gets delivered to him in the morning, to the residents.
The Philadelphia Inquirer van makes a stop at the corner of Sydenham and Cecil B. Moore to drop off newspapers. People make time just for a minute to stop and talk with Thomas. This is what makes him get up every morning and have a smile on his face.
Thomas said: ” A tight- handed fist can’t hold nothing; your hand has to be open to receive. If you are willing to help others, you will be blessed.”
One local resident, Tamika Brown, said, ” I come to Jimmie to get my newspaper so the kids can stay in the car and they are safe.”
With the economy affecting everyone, it has hit hard for Thomas. He said he sees homeless people walking down his streets every day and finding out from other people how it has affected their lives. He said, ” We vote. We still don’t get no satisfaction.” He explained no one wants to come together as a community and work together; everyone is separated.
Thomas is known for his loving smile and kind heart. He is grateful for the life he has and for the loving community that takes the time to stop by and just say hello. He said, ” The community is slowly coming back up.” In time, he said he hopes to see his community go up from here. Living alone gets lonely at times and he
likes being around people and seeing them smile.
Thomas said he knows what is going on around his community at all times. If you need to know something going on in the area, Thomas is the person to go to. He said he sees everything that goes on and tries to get the message across to give to others.
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