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HME Pawn Star

HME Pawn Star

Now I know it's a few weeks past Christmas, but I just had to share this story with you guys.

A man named Phil Pavone owns A-Z Pawn in Norwich, Conn. Every year, he buys and collects donations of motorized wheelchairs, refurbishes them and gives them away at Christmas to people who cannot afford them.

Can you imagine? He's given out more than 100 power wheelchairs at this point. He finds these people through ads, calling it "The Gift of Mobility Change a Life Giveaway.”

“I advertise and have people, 'Tell me their story.' You can't keep a dry eye when reading these letters,” Pavone wrote in a piece to the Hartford Courant. “These are people that are suffering and for some reason or another don't qualify for a motorized wheelchair. This year I have received over 70 letters.”

You guys all know the work that goes into refurbishing a power wheelchair; this guy does it all for free for no reason other than there's a need in his community.

Apparently, I'm not the only reporter who's eye was caught by this story.

Local newspaper The Bulletin covered the giveaway this year and interviewed some of the recipients.

One of the best parts of this story? Pavone invited state Sen. Cathy Osten, 19th District and told her what he thought about limiting access to mobility devices.

“It's totally, totally, totally, totally unfair,” he said.

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