Help for the Homeless, Part 2-Stacy Case

Last year, 19 Middle Tennessee children spent the night in the homeless shelter for women and children every night in downtown Nashville.

That number is expected to spike again this year.

But a Brentwood woman who is far from homeless is determined to turn ordinary people just like you into hometown heroes for children in need.

Kelly Putty is a mom in motion and not just because she has six kids.

It's because she has a heart for all the other children who don't have a home.

Putty says, "Whether we're talking to an orphan across the world.. or a little child down at the homeless shelter .. I don't know that there's much difference when it comes down to they need people to help take care of them and they have nobody.. so what do you do?"

Putty does whatever it takes.

She's a rape and cancer survivor, so she knows what it's like to suffer.

That's why she's a foster mom to a homeless girl right now and why she adopted a homeless boy from Ethiopia.

"Here I sit with both in my home. I have one from across the world. and one from across town."

It all started three years ago when this Brentwood mom stumbled across
Nashville's homeless shelter for mom's and children.

It's the day she became an ordinary hero.

She still remembers the very first mom and children she helped just by sending out some emails.

Kelly called on everyone she knew, and told them to pass the emails on.

Before long, she had an apartment, a job, and a car for one mom.

she knew, almost by accident, she'd found her life's calling, and she hasn't stopped since.

All along the way, she's made ordinary heroes out of some people she knows and many she doesn't.

Like the Lukens, who've never met Putty.

Luken says, "I just got a random email from a friend of mine saying they needed a place to keep a 4 and a half year old boy and I read the email to Greg and we said we had room."

Luken says, "Our son gets to see that these aren't just words that we use."

This little boy is the brother of the girl Putty is fostering.

They're children of that very first mom Putty helped three years ago.

She's homeless again.

"So I asked her if she would like for me to organize a place for the kids to stay so she can get on her feet and be able to work."

There's also a third sibling, a baby.

The McCraw took her in.

Shelley McCraw says, "We just did it for the little girl.. not for us."

JT McCraw says, "It's just one of the things you do it because you know you're supposed to do it."

It's been an informal mission for putty for three years, with whomever she can strong arm to help.

She's provided Christmas gifts and Halloween costumes to homeless kids.

Mary Krutcher says, "One little child had never even had a costume before."

She even convinced one family to adopt a homeless newborn.

The pregnant homeless mom was planning to leave the baby at a hospital.

"I said surely I can help find a family wouldn't you feel more comfortable knowing where this child was going and she said yes..and she knew her choice was to go back to the streets and that's exactly what she did."

There are countless other kids she's given hope.

"If you ask my friends.. yeah.. we've definitely pulled them into the ordinary hero circle."

That circle is growing now that she's turned her grassroots work into a
non-profit aptly called "Ordinary Hero."

the mission-to help homeless kids everywhere.

Shane Putty says, "She kind of puts her mind to something and goes with it. Most people just have a thought just pop into their head and that's where it stays but hers tend to manifest."

"I never planned on starting a non profit.. I never planned on going down to the women's shelter.. everything that has ever happened has happened by accident. But I believe there's no accidents..it's just my steps are guided and I believe by God."

Kelly Putty, one busy mom who believes every homeless child needs an ordinary hero.Help for the Homeless, Part 2-Stacy Case