Garbage worker noticed 90-year-old woman hadn’t put out her trash. His next action saved her life

When Jake Bland, operations manager at Hometown Hauling in Louisville, Kentucky, noticed that a long-time customer hadn’t put her trash out for more than two weeks, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. In his role, it’s not unusual to spot changes in routine, but this one stood out. Instead of dismissing it as a small oversight, Bland asked dispatch to place a call and check in. That call went to customer service representative Bernice Arthur, who uncovered the heartbreaking truth. "She just didn’t have anything to eat, and that’s why she had no trash to put out there," Arthur told WDRB.

The 90-year-old woman had been confined to her home for weeks, unable to get groceries during the COVID-19 pandemic. With no family nearby and no way to leave the house, her food supply had run dangerously low. "She has no family, nobody. I said, ‘You do have a family now,'" Arthur said. Bland and Arthur decided to act immediately. Bland made a list of essentials, went shopping, and personally delivered the groceries to the woman, whom they call "Mrs. W." The company covered the entire cost.

"It was even in a nice neighborhood. You never know what’s going on in your neighbor’s house," Bland said. The situation was a stark reality of what the elderly struggle with. As per a 2024 study, among US adults aged 60 and above, those experiencing food insecurity reported two or more weeks of poor physical health (OR 1.88), over two weeks of poor mental health (OR 2.22), and more than half the month feeling anxious (OR 3.33). Notably, about 9.5% of adults over 65 living alone were food insecure. For many seniors, the pandemic intensified isolation to the point where even daily survival became uncertain. The Louisville Metro Office of Resilience and Community Service confirmed that countless elderly residents in the city were facing the same challenges. In this case, a simple observation and a phone call may have saved a life.

"Had we not reached out to her — she wasn’t reaching out to anyone. It taught me, regardless, to check on them. Put something on their porch. Let them know," Arthur said. After the incident, Hometown Hauling said they would continue to check on the woman for the foreseeable future, making sure that a break in routine is never overlooked again. Bland hopes the story inspires others to look out for the people around them, even in small ways. 

Just as Hometown Hauling’s quick thinking spared a 90-year-old neighbor from going hungry, another moment of attentiveness — this time from a 1½-year-old — led to the rescue of a woman who had been missing for days. 1½-year-old Ethan was playing with bubbles in his backyard when he chased them toward the fence line. Spotting something unusual in the woods, he told his mother, Brittany Moore, "Feet." At first, Moore couldn’t see anything, but when she crouched to his eye level, she saw a pair of feet lying among broken sticks. The person turned out to be 82-year-old Nina Lipscomb, who has Alzheimer’s and had been missing for four days. Lipscomb’s daughter, Karen, explained that her mother had wandered off while looking for her late sister. After receiving treatment at a local hospital, Lipscomb met Ethan and thanked him, saying he likely saved her life.