A 93-year-old war veteran has managed to raise an incredible $17,000 for a local food bank by selling walking sticks he whittled himself. John Hobson, a retired Air Force Colonel from Xenia, Ohio, took to creating the sticks to assuage his boredom as he likes to keep busy and hates sitting around doing nothing. Now he’s turned his hobby into an amazing charitable gesture and he doesn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon!
- He made 100 walking sticks in the past year. According to John’s son Mark, “If he just got put somewhere and told him to sit down, he’d go mad,” adding that it takes his father roughly a day to make each stick via whittling. That takes a lot of time and dedication!
- John sells the sticks for $3 each. Given that each of the sticks is hand-crafted and takes so long, knowing that John only sells them for $3 is quite a bargain! He’s made about $600 from his sales and uses the money to donate to the Xenia Area Fish Food Pantry. “Makes me feel good,” Hobson told local news affiliate WLWT.
- He’s taken his fundraising for the food pantry to the next level. Not satisfied to simply donate the profits from the walking sticks he created, John also set up a GoFundMe page for the cause, and to date, it’s raised more than $11,300. That’s incredible!
- You don’t have to be old to enjoy walking sticks. In fact, John made and gifted personalized sticks to each of his grandchildren and their spouses for children. With everyone spending more time outdoors and trying to keep healthy and fit, something tells me those sticks will come in handy!
- Everyone in his community appreciates his efforts. Writing on Facebook, the Xenia community page shared a picture of one of John’s sticks and wrote: “Perfect day to test out my walking stick that I purchased from Mr. Hobson, he is a 93 year old Air Force veteran at 1130 E. Spring Valley Paintersville Rd. where all proceeds will be given to Xenia Food Pantry. Looks like several are interested in purchasing. Thanks again to Mr. Hobson, not only for the cause he is helping to support for our community but for also serving our country! We salute you!”
