When Jason McMaster stood before guests at Good Shepherd Center’s largest fundraiser of the year, he shared a story few in the room would forget.
Raised in Brunswick County, Jason joined the Army at 18 and spent four years in field artillery. But after his service, injuries, divorce, loss, depression, PTSD, and alcoholism slowly unraveled the life he had built. He lost his job, his home, and his family. Eventually, all he had left was his car.
Then one December night, driving with nowhere to go, Jason crashed into a ditch off Highway 211 in the Green Swamp. The shock left him temporarily paralyzed. For 13 hours, he lay trapped in the cold mud, praying he would survive.
He did. But afterward, he was homeless.
For nine months, Jason couch surfed and lived on the street while injured and unable to work. Then, through the VA, he learned about Good Shepherd Center’s Sgt. Eugene Ashley Center for Veterans experiencing homelessness. At one of his lowest moments, the phone rang. A bed had opened.
Good Shepherd arranged transportation from Southport to Wilmington. When Jason arrived with little more than the clothes on his back and a toothbrush, he expected judgment. Instead, he was asked, “How can we help?”
That question became the beginning of rebuilding.
Good Shepherd helped Jason access meals, clothing, counseling, transportation, medical care, VA assistance, recovery support, and eventually housing. Today, Jason is housed, financially stable, active in his church, and studying to become a minister.
And every Saturday morning, years after leaving the Ashley Center, he returns to cook breakfast for homeless Veterans.
As Jason told the room that night, “If we do nothing, nothing changes.” His life is proof of what can happen when someone chooses to do something.
“I was worth the investment, and I promise you, so is the next person.”
— Jason McMaster