For several years, Carol Larmond has juggled two jobs, at least unofficially.
Larmond spends her days working as a gastrointestinal technician at Saint Luke’s South Hospital in Overland Park. Then, in her spare time, she delivers supplies to people experiencing homelessness throughout the Kansas City area.
She’s done that on her own for nearly a quarter century. Now, inspired by her work, her coworkers at St. Luke’s South recently decided to step in to help — pooling money to surprise her by funding a new place for the supplies she stockpiles for delivery.
Larmond’s volunteer work goes back two decades
In 2000, Larmond was on her way home from church in Kansas City, Missouri, when she came across a woman sitting by herself outside. She stopped and had a long conversation with the woman and found out she frequently slept outside.
Larmond created a makeshift place for her to sleep and started regularly bringing her hot chocolate and blankets. Since then, she said, she has been keeping an eye on her and bringing her supplies whenever she can.
That opened the door for Larmond to begin getting involved with helping houseless Kansas Citians by collecting supplies to bring to them.
She periodically drives into downtown Kansas City and hands out water, food, blankets and coats during the winter and bottled ice during the summer — occasionally getting help from friends, family and community volunteers.
She also holds annual winter drives for gloves, blankets, coats and hats. And when the people she’s come to know are forced to move their tents, she said, she does her best to find them at their next spot.
“I sit with them, I talk with them, I encourage them,” she said. “They will ask, ‘Why do you do this? We don’t deserve it,’ and I say, ‘Yes, you deserve it. Every person deserves another chance.’”
Saint Luke’s South organized a secret donation drive
When Larmond began working at Saint Luke’s South in 2017, her coworkers at the hospital quickly got involved with her efforts by donating supplies like food and clothing.
Stacy Roberson, a surgical nurse at Saint Luke’s South, had helped Larmond bring food to downtown Kansas City when she had an idea for something more.
She’d noticed that while Larmond was in no way short on supply donations, she was running out of space to store them at her home.
“We could hardly get in and out of the garage,” Roberson said. “(We were) of course grateful for everything that was donated, but it definitely needed sorting.”
Roberson determined Larmond needed a new space for supplies, so she decided to surprise her with one.
She organized a secret effort among hospital staff to raise money for a new supply shed in Larmond’s backyard in Kansas City. Hospital staff surprised Larmond with the news earlier this fall.
“(We wanted to) make it manageable so she wasn’t so inundated with all the stuff in the garage,” Roberson said. “It was well received by most people, and everyone was willing to donate.”
Larmond’s coworkers raised $2,700 for the new shed
In addition to building the new shed, hospital staff presented Larmond with a large check and donated some plastic bins and cases of water.
“I was speechless — tears started coming down,” Larmond recalls. “She got me really good.”
Ultimately, Roberson said Larmond’s efforts to support Kansas Citians experiencing homelessness felt like something to celebrate — not just with this surprise, but every day.
“She’s been doing this for a long time, and she has a great rapport with the community,” she said. “When someone opens their hearts to someone in need, it’s just so fulfilling and so touching.”
