In every envelope, a simple, but encouraging message is written. A message to inspire and give hope to a person that is in need of help.
Shade Gumapac, a former Bakersfield College student, who graduated in 2010 in theater arts has been giving 10 percent of his monthly wages to people in the Bakersfield and Delano area that are in need of financial help.
When asked how much money he has donated, Gumapac said, “I don’t know if I call this a donation to the homeless, but so far 63 envelopes containing five dollars inside of them have been spread out.”
Gumapac is a server at Denny’s on Seventh Standard in Bakersfield, a founder of the Dream Team Talent Academy, and a business associate with Legal Shield.
“The money I’ve given is 10 percent of my monthly take-home income. No less. No more,” said Gumapac.
Gumapac noted that the reason why he is giving the money.
“I’ve been blessed and given so much,” he said. “I started separating my 10 percent from my February income, followed by my March and April income. I started spreading the envelopes for about two weeks and I still have lots of envelops waiting to be given out.”
Gumapac is passionate about what he is doing and encourages the community to give back.
“The goal is to see if I can continue to go all the way to one thousand envelopes,” said Gumapac.
Gumapac said he doesn’t always go alone when he is out handing out the envelopes. Sometimes he takes his 12-year-old nephew and five-year-old niece because the experience sometimes surprises them.
Gumapac noted that once he hands out the envelopes, he quickly walks away before he has a chance to see the reaction of the person in need. “I don’t really see their reactions, but I am sure they are smiling, which is the intention that I am trying to make,” said Gumapac.
“I choose the homeless to be the receivers because I know what it is like to have nothing and these people have nothing and sometimes have no one,” Gumapac added.
Gumapac still has more envelopes that he is going to hand out, but he is happy to be doing such a good deed and is determined to meet his goal of 1,000 envelopes.