LOUISVILLE, Ky. — There was no mail on Veterans Day, but this postal worker still made deliveries to those in need.
What You Need To Know
- Devin Coy, 42, is a Army and Iraq War veteran and U.S. Mail Carrier
- Coy spent Veterans Day collecting food to giveit to the homeless
- Many restaurants have free meal promotions for vets on Veteran's Day
- Coy hopes to inspire other veterans to spend the holidays serving the community
US mail carriers have Veterans Day off, but Army Vet Devin Coy spent hours making deliveries anyway.
“Hey brother, how are you doing, are you hungry?" Coy said, approaching a homeless man in downtown Louisville.
The postal worker drove around Louisville handing out hot meals to homeless residents.
“Here you go man. Here’s some breakfast,” he said to one homeless person. “Have you eaten today? Are you hungry?” Coy asked another.
Coy knows a lot of restaurants promote free meals for veterans on Veterans Day. He served in the U.S. Army in during the Iraq War.
“I decided just to hit every single restaurant rather than search out the ones that were actually participating in it," Coy explained.
But instead of using his VA card to get a free meal for himself, he asked restaurant staff if they’d like to help feed the homeless.
“And I just tell them the truth. I’m not keeping any of this. I’ve got a good job. My fridge is full of food. All of this is going to the homeless downtown.”
Coy kicked around the idea for a few years, and he followed through for the first time in 2018. It, like his service, changed him.
“It was so powerful, man. It’s so moving to do this," he said. "I didn't realize how good it makes you feel to help other people. I was in tears basically trying to, getting choked up just trying to tell the manager what I was doing.”
Coy lives in Sellersburg, Indiana. He collected most of the meals in Jeffersonville and then crossed the Ohio River into downtown Louisville. He does this several times throughout the day.
Just before lunchtime, the managers at a BoomBozz went above and beyond. Coy counted out the abundance of donated food.
“Seven personal pan pizzas and three orders of pretzel sticks. Wow. They just hooked us up. This is the best anyone has ever done for me," he said before heading back to downtown Louisville.
“You want a bottle of water brother?” Coy said to a man laying down under an I-65 overpass.
Coy retired from the Army more than fifteen years ago but his desire to serve is growing stronger every year. He's hoping to inspire other veterans to find ways to give back on Veteran's Day.
“That young lady back there, late 20’s maybe early thirties, and just seeing her sitting outside the mission smoking a cigarette because she doesn’t have anywhere else to go, God it’s heartbreaking," he said.
Coy collected and handed out several dozen meals on Veteran's Day. He said nearly every restaurant he visited was happy to contribute.