Faith, family have sustained Hammy Down Treasures so far
It's been said a single moment in time can change the trajectory of a person’s life forever.
For Bill Hamilton, Sr., it was a day some 20-odd years ago, as he was begrudgingly handing out peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to runaways getting off buses in Daytona Beach. He was with his wife, Carol, and some members from a church they had started attending when it occurred to him.
Hamilton had been hesitant to accept Jesus as his savior, but that experience of helping others stuck with him. Soon the heavy drinker and smoker from New Jersey dropped both habits, found his path and began to turn his life around.
A few years later, after being ordained, Bill and Carol, who also went on to earn a doctorate in theology and Christian counseling, founded Special Blessings Ministry in Bunnell and opened a thrift store, Hammy Down Treasures, dedicating to helping those in need. It quickly became a lifeline for some in the Bunnell community, including homeless individuals passing through the county.
Providing tents, clothes, socks, shoes and coats to the homeless, funds during the holidays to help with Project WARM (Women And Recovering Mothers), and Thanksgiving meals for members of the community, to name a few, it’s become Hamilton's way of giving back and keeping his life on the right track.
But health problems have taken their toll on Hamilton and diabetes has been a doozy for the 72-year-old, who accepts no compensation to run the thrift store at 801 S. State Street, Bunnell.
A health scare just over two months ago has kept the store from opening, resulting in the loss of income needed to keep it afloat. While the landlord has been generous, Hamilton knows the first of the month is right around the corner and hard decisions may have to be made.
So his sons Bill Hamilton, Jr. and Michael Hamilton launched a public effort to help their father, kicking off a fundraiser over the weekend to help “Save the Store,” hoping to raise the needed $2,500 to keep the doors open.
“It’s a not-for-profit, so we take any money brought in and give it back to the community to help,” said Bill Hamilton, Jr. “My father has been ill with health issues, and he’s the one who runs the store during the week. Closed for two months, you can only imagine ...”
Throughout the day, visitors who learned of the family's plea for help stopped by to drop what they could into the donation box. Some were strangers and anonymous donors, while others, like Todd Wingerter, who said he was helped by the Hamilton family through their spiritual guidance and wholesome family role modeling, just wanted to do something to help them in return.
“I met them through church and we started playing softball and it went from there,” said Wingerter. “The way they handle everything ... they don’t judge and they want to help anybody they can. You just have to let them know.”
Bill Hamilton Sr.’s health is improving and while he still can’t drive due to a recent seizure, he’s lined up transportation to ensure that he can be on site to thank those who visit the store. In the end, he said he’s leaving it all up to God.
“The Lord has always brought me through,” he said. “There’s always a way. Whatever will be will be, and it’s the Lord’s decision. If he plants a seed in people to help out, then so be it.”
For more information, call 386-627-6715 or visit hammydowntreasurers.com.