Shop owner vows he’ll keep helping homeless
When he’s not serving meals at his sandwich shop, Derrick Dorsett devotes much of his time to helping the homeless and others in need. But his plans to give away toys and serve meals for Christmas were derailed when the sub shop was broken into just days before the holiday.
On the night of Dec. 18, Dorsett’s shop, Kang a r o o H o u s e S u b s & Mo r e , was broken into as burglars stole money intended t o h e l p t h e homeless. The burglars took a safe with about $4,000 in cash, a l a pt o p c o mp u t e r a n d a microwave.
Dorsett, 47, of Riviera Beach, opened the sub shop near Northlake Boulevard and Old Dixie Highway a little more than a year ago. Proceeds from the business help fund his nonprofit organization, God’s Loving Hands Families Feeding the Homeless, and other charity organizations. Because of the burglary, Dorsett had to cancel events including a toy giveaway and a holiday party for members of the community, he said recently.
“We were getting ready to do a lot things for the community with some of those funds, other than paying our bills,” Dorsett said. “We were going to help a young lady. She had a problem paying her rent and we were going to help her out. … We were going to start a breakfast feeding program last month but, because of this incident, we had to push it back.”
Dorsett said he also had to use personal funds to keep the sub shop’s doors open. Despite those setbacks, he remains determined to help those in need.
Dorsett and his aunt, Rosetta Webster, started the charity in 2012. He said he was inspired to help others because of personal struggles in his own life, including periods of being homeless.
“I know the feeling of being homeless,” Dorsett said. “I know the feeling it does to your self-esteem and everything else. Now that I’m doing better, I’m trying to give back.”
Two men have been arrested in connection with the burglary and Palm Beach County Sheriff ’s deputies are searching for a third. Demetrius Robinson, 29, and James Bass, 26, were arrested on charges of burglary and grand theft. Jail records do not list a current address for either man.
Deputies are searching for a 26-year-old man who was spotted on surveillance video.
Since the burglary, area residents have come forward to help. A man who saw reports about the burglary on TV donated $500, Dorsett said. A woman who was given money by one of the suspects returned $100 after she found out where the cash came from.
Dorsett said he hopes all the suspects will be caught, but forgives them for their actions.
“They’re human and there’s something going on in their lives that had nothing to do with me,” he said. “I just have to forgive them and keep going on. I hope they get the help they need, but they definitely have to pay for what they’ve done.”