Project Manager Willing to Give Coat Off His Back to Homeless

 |  Sundt People
Cost drive photo
One of the recipients of coats from Sundt employee-owner Kenny Smith shows off his new winter wear.

Bitterly cold temperatures and a lot of time to think on an airport runway inspired Sundt employee-owner Kenny Smith to help San Antonio’s homeless.

Kenny, a Concrete Project Manager on our Canopy Hilton project, left the downtown San Antonio jobsite one day earlier this month for the airport and a trip to Phoenix. On the way to his truck, he saw homeless people without proper clothing for a rare blast of winter temperatures coming to town.

“I went to the airport and got stuck on the runway for three hours due to snow on the plane,” he said. “I had time to think while waiting on the plane.”

When he returned to San Antonio, Kenny went through his and his girlfriend’s closets collecting coats to hand out. He asked co-workers to do the same and he soon had a nice amount of winter wear. When taking one of the coats back to the job site, Kenny said he saw a man sitting at a gas station asking for money.

“I told him I had something better and gave him the new coat,” Kenny said.

Kenny’s generosity and organizational skills earned him an internal company award. But he was never in it for recognition. The reaction he receives from the men and women he helps is more than enough when he pulls over to the side of the road to hand out jackets and coats.

“It wasn’t really hard to do or took much time out of my schedule. It was just the right thing to do to give back to people that need it more than we do,” Kenny said. “I learned that from my mother and grandmother.”