Video: Eric ‘Fluffy’ Glover says he lost housing, but not hope
By Kevin Coughlin
Hear those thunderous chimes?
That’s the sound of 1,719 angels getting their wings.
Eric “Fluffy” Glover, Morristown’s homeless Ticket-Taker Guy, said on Thursday that he has received payment from a GoFundMe drive earmarked to help him find housing.
In just one week, more than 1,700 people contributed $65,805 to the AMC cinema part-time ticket-taker, whose colorful pantomime routine has entertained local moviegoers since 1993.
After fees, Fluffy received about $60,800, he said. He plans to spend some of the money for housing and auto repairs, while saving the rest for retirement.
“I feel a whole lot better,” Fluffy said outside of Starbucks. “I thank God that this help came to me. I thank every single person. I love everybody to death that gave. I don’t care if a person even gave me a penny towards it. I would still love that person.”
‘NEVER THOUGHT THIS WOULD HAPPEN TO ME’
The GoFundMe drive was launched last month by Lidia Udrija, who had fond childhood memories of Fluffy’s ticket-taking routine and was concerned when she heard of his housing predicament.
Fluffy, 54, has explained that he lived in Morristown with a cousin, until the relative fell ill and the house was sold. He spent four months in a Homeless Solutions shelter, and lately he’s been crashing with friends and a few relatives.
The public outpouring has brought Fluffy to tears, he said. A separate online campaign has gathered signatures from more than 1,300 people asking the AMC Headquarters Plaza 10 to make him a fulltime employee with benefits.
“This is the first time I ever experienced homelessness. I never thought this would happen to me. But I kept my head up the whole time because I know there’s always hope out there, no matter what,” said Fluffy, a 1980 graduate of Morristown High School.
Homeless Solutions Inc. put him up for a few nights last week at the local Best Western and the Hyatt Morristown, where he rode out the “Jonas” blizzard.
Fluffy is optimistic about his future.
“I believe everything will fall into place,” he said.
THE UPS AND DOWNS OF CROWDFUNDING
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