Former Our House client donates lottery winnings to shelter

Sidney Stuart recently donated part of his lottery winnings back to Our House, where he's stayed twice. The shelter gave him the confidence and resources to get back on his feet, he said.
Sidney Stuart recently donated part of his lottery winnings back to Our House, where he's stayed twice. The shelter gave him the confidence and resources to get back on his feet, he said.

Our House helped Sidney Stuart out at a time when luck turned against him.

Now that his luck's turned, he's given back to Our House in a big way.

Stuart, 56, of Fulton, recently won a chunk of change from the Missouri Lottery after purchasing a "Lady Luck" Scratchers ticket in Holts Summit. He donated a portion of those winnings to Fulton's only homeless shelter, where he stayed briefly in 2016 and 2018.

"I told (Our House Director Misty Dothage) when I left I said, 'I'll never forget you,'" Stuart said Tuesday. "And I didn't, and I never will. They've helped a lot of people."

Dothage hasn't forgotten him either.

"Sidney's heart and strong work ethic have always made him stand out," she said. "Even when he had nothing, he still gave of himself in a genuine way. He has taken his success and turned it into a mission to share and inspire others. He truly appreciates every step he's taken and every hand that has reached out to support him."

Stuart has a lot of hustle - he currently works several jobs and runs a business on the side - but in the past, he's occasionally found himself in tough circumstances. Shortly before his 2018 stay at Our House, he was living in New Bloomfield and working at the Fulton State Hospital.

"I had a car accident which disabled my car," he said. "I had to move closer so I could walk to work."

He stayed at the shelter while looking for an affordable place to live. While he was there, he witnessed the way Dothage and Our House help clients: rides to appointments with SERVE Inc., help in applying for jobs and government benefits, and more.

"A lot of 'em here don't have the money to go and do something," Stuart said. "A lot of the kids here have been kicked down and beat up so much, they've lost their self-drive. Why get up? Why get up and go do something?"

Stuart soon moved out of Our House to care for his elderly parents, who live in Holts Summit. But he continued volunteering at the shelter, filling shifts, working special events and providing meals. In January 2019, Dothage hired him as a night monitor for Wiley House, one of Our House's two buildings.

"We have guests give back and volunteer as they are able, some folks bring food, donate supplies occasionally, or offer to help staff the shelter on the holidays," she said. "We have never had anyone give back to the degree that Sidney has."

Stuart said he's always had drive. In addition to being a night monitor, he works part time at Backer's Potato Chips and runs the Sid's Snacks snack stand at carnivals and events. During the school year, he drives a shuttle bus at University of Missouri.

"I love this ministry - this is where my heart is," he said. "I help them out; if they need supplies I'll go get that for them, whatever it takes."

In Stuart's opinion, the Fulton community underestimates the good Our House does.

"People don't realize what a blessing this place is until they come in and see it," he said. "If everybody would stay there for a week they'd see what a blessing it is that it is here."

Dothage and Stuart declined to disclose the amount of the donation, but Dothage said it will help Our House during these ongoing difficult times.

"Sidney has always been passionate about making sure individuals who are homeless have a safe place during harsh weather, on holidays and during times of uncertainty," she said. "His donation will help us in continuing to provide shelter while we push through the uncertainties associated with today's reality with the pandemic."

After buying a truck, Stuart put the remainder of his winnings away for later. (He requested that the amount of his winnings not be disclosed.)

"If you look at it all the time, it'll be gone," he said.

He said he cherished the chance to help Our House.

"It's a once-in-a-lifetime thing," Stuart added.

Learn more about Our House at ourhousecallaway.org.