5 women raise funds to gift homeless man and his dog an RV after meeting under an overpass

JEFFERSON COUNTY, Mo. (KMOV/Gray News) - A homeless man and his dog received a very special gift this week from a group of strangers.

Dan Cuthern and his dog Bentley were living in a tent under an overpass when five women met them and decided to help.

The women started a fundraising campaign that initially raised enough money to move Cuthern into a hotel room in February.

“You don’t realize how hard it is for someone to get back on their feet until you’re trying to help them do it,” one of the women said.

The women continued fundraising with plans to provide a more permanent solution.

Using donations and some of their own money, they purchased a recreational vehicle and recently surprised Cuthern with it.

“As we’ve gained money, we just started looking for an affordable RV, and we found one,” one of the women said.

Cuthern, who said he had been living on the streets since 2013 after getting out of prison, became emotional when he was presented with the RV.

“I love it,” he said.

Cuthern also has a job waiting for him at a doggy day care. During his time living on the streets, Cuthern prioritized caring for Bentley.

“There was a week that went by, I didn’t eat, but my dog didn’t go hungry,” Cuthern said.

Cuthern said he now considers the women who helped him family.

“My brothers and sisters now,” he said.

One of the women said they plan to remain involved in Cuthern’s life.

“He’s gonna have us as a staple in his life for quite some time,” one of the women said.