After His Home Burns, Neighbors Step In To Help Man Who Always Helped Others

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A man dedicated to uplifting the community is in need of help. For months, Ronnie Guy has fed neighbors, including those in homeless camps. But following a fire, he's the one who's homeless now.

The death of George Floyd compelled Ronnie Guy to go to the intersection of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue.

"I wanted to do something for the community so I took like a thousand dollars of my own money, bought a whole bunch of food, bought a barbecue grill and started cooking for the community on 38th and Chicago," Guy said.

Guy began giving away food and others quickly took notice.

"And at that point I knew I needed to help them, so I came alongside of them and helped them just do what they do better," Pastor Ron McConico said.

"I went to Facebook and asked, basically, if you guys want to see me keep doing it, send a dollar or two to CashApp," Guy said.

That's when Twin Cities Relief was born. Armed with more than 150 volunteers they began feeding people and passing out goods. The donations were coming in fast and COVID-19 limited where they could be stored.

"I started storing a lot of stuff at my house, whether it was in the basement, my spare rooms," Guy said.

Two nights ago after feeding the homeless, his house and all he owned was gone, destroyed in a fire.

"One of the things he was most worried about was all the of things he has gotten to be able to go out and continue to uplift the Twin Cities community," friend Sy Huff said.

Huff says although Guy is homeless he continues to take donations for others.

"My hope is that everybody gets the spirit of Ronnie Guy, that spirit of paying it forward, that spirit of taking care of your neighbor, that spirit of taking care of your community," Huff said.

"This is more reason to continue and this is an eye-opener. This makes me want to help families that aren't just homeless, that aren't just down on their luck. We're going through a pandemic, and I feel like everybody needs relief," Guy said.