Pawn Shop Owner Gives Wheelchairs To 580 People, Some Of Them Haven’t Been Outside In Years

One Connecticut  pawn shop owner decided to make a difference by donating 580 wheelchairs to those less fortunate. Philip Pavone’s pawn shop started back in 2009. He soon realized space needed to be freed up and the chairs weren’t really selling. So, he elected to start giving them away to handicap users. Philip then placed an ad in the local newspaper, offering them for free. Within two weeks, he received more than sixty letters in response his ad. The problem is many insurance companies do not cover the cost of a motorized wheelchair ranging in price between $4,000-$40,000 dollars. Mr. Pavone began to realize something needed to be done and he wanted to help. “At that moment, I realized how many people out there were suffering. It was unbelievable,” said Mr. Pavone. “Some of the people writing to me hadn’t left their homes for months, even years at a time. Many were elderly and had no one to help them.” Pavone himself is a Vietnam veteran and cancer survivor, who deeply empathized with the letters he received.