Harrison Keegan

HKEEGAN@NEWS-LEADER.COM

For Robert Savage, kicking a 19-year meth addiction is one of the hardest things he has ever done.

But he knows he didn’t do it alone.

Savage, now three years clean, said he had an overwhelming support system along the way. And as a graduate of Greene County Drug Court and president of the organization Men Out Recovering Every Day, Savage is doing his best to give back to the community that has given him so much.

That sense of responsibility is the lifeblood of the MORE organization, and Savage said it was the driving force behind Saturday’s second annual Christmas giveaway in the parking lot of Cook’s Kettle on Commercial Street in Springfield. MORE partnered with the Heartland Center for Behavioral Change to pass out bikes, coats, hats, gloves and hygiene packets to homeless families.

Santa Claus was even there to hand out toys, along with about 20 MORE members.

“We decided that we had taken in so much from our community that we wanted to give back,” Savage said. “We don’t ask for any recognition to do this, it’s just something we do.”

One of the people who Savage credits with making sure he wasn’t on the other end of Saturday’s event is Rhonda Richards, Drug Court coordinator for Heartland Center for Behavioral Change.

Richards was on hand Saturday helping with the giveaway. She said the event helped about 40 people last year, but she estimated that at least double that amount benefited this year.

“We focus a lot on the homeless kids,” Richards said. “They didn’t make the choices that brought their family where it’s at.

“It feels good, the guys will talk afterward for weeks about the looks on the kids’ faces and a little bit of the happiness that they got to spread. It heals part of the guys, too.”

Savage said some people donated money to help put on Saturday’s event, but the rest of the money came out of the pockets of MORE members. He said putting on the event cost about $1,500.

Willie Patrick of Springfield was among those in line for toys and clothes on Saturday. Patrick said he is homeless and he was there collecting toys to give to his three children for Christmas.

“It’s great that they help out,” Patrick said. “Sometimes it is hard for folks to get along with what is going on. This is the best I have seen yet. People care around here.”

Patrick said Saturday was his first time attending the Christmas giveaway, and he is hoping it is his last as he tries to find employment and get back on his feet.

“I didn’t think I would ever see myself in this kind of position, but I’m here,” Patrick said. “I have never thought I was better than anybody else, but, as a man, I try to hold my own, regardless.”