This Teen Is Buying Auctioned Off Storage Units So He Can Return Family Heirlooms And Photos To Their Rightful Owners
Wakefield, Rhode Island. 16-year-old Shane Jones is a sophomore at South Kingstown High School and he loves to collect things like retro video games, antique glass bottles, and coins.
When Shane learned he could go on the internet and buy auctioned off storage units, he figured it could turn out to be a wonderful opportunity for him to discover more interesting items to add to his collections.
“Shane quickly came to realize that the storage unit auctions were actually other people’s items and that these people had likely come upon a financial hardship that kept them from being able to make the payments on their storage units,” Shane’s school wrote in a Facebook post highlighting him.
“So he made a plan! Shane started to purchase storage units that went to auction when he had saved enough money to do so.”
“Once he purchases the units, he asks one of his parents to go with him to pick up the unit’s items (sometimes multiple trips) and he looks for any identifying paperwork or items.”
“When he comes across a name, his parents help him search for the person online and contact them to let them know that we have their items and can bring them to them or they can pick them up, if they want.
Facebook; pictured above is Shane
Shane has been working hard on his new hobby, and so far he has been able to reunite three different families with their lost possessions like paperwork, family heirlooms, furniture, and photos.
“One woman had lost a child to SIDS and the only photos and possessions of her baby were in her locker,” Shane’s school explained.
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“Another woman had her son’s only possessions returned to her, while he was detained in prison. An elderly couple had family memories returned to them from their storage unit.”
Every single family that Shane reached out to was blown away by his acts of kindness.
“I started out thinking that bidding at a storage auction was kind of like a yard sale, but now I know that’s not true,” Shane wrote on Facebook.
“It’s almost like a duty to give it back. I appreciate the support.”
You can follow Shane on his Facebook page called Shane Jones’ Storage Savers here.
Facebook; pictured above Shane’s school district recognizes his kindness and hard work
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