Steve Fuller

Steve Fuller, owner of Fuller's Plumbing, donates his plumbing skills to make minor repairs, from faucets to toilets, for low-income seniors and disabled persons. The Lutheran Social Services' Caring Neighbors program in Chula Vista, a suburb of San Diego, CA, makes referrals to Fuller and provides low-income persons with assistance in mobility and home maintenance. The program utilizes a network of service persons, i.e. mail carriers, trash collectors, etc., to provide a check-in service with the homebound.

The program's clients are financially unable to afford the services of a professional plumber. Because Fuller and his four person staff provide these services free of charge, the clients are able to maintain an independent and healthy living environment. In addition to prompt, professional service, Fuller and his staff show a caring attitude toward the clients, always working with a smile and a kind word.

In 1994, Fuller initiated contact with the Caring Neighbors program based on the needs he had seen in the community. Particularly impacted by a newspaper article that related the needs of the homebound elderly, he felt compelled to give back to those among the community's neediest individuals. Seeing the impact that Fuller's efforts made, his staff soon joined in.

Since 1994, Fuller and his staff have completed more than 80 projects with Caring Neighbors.