The Heart Behind the Paul Leeder Project: A Grandfather’s Legacy of Kindness

A couple was walking in the rain.

It was just before Thanksgiving a few years ago. They were homeless, and Kat and Ben Counts had nothing on hand to give them.

That moment stayed with Kat and Ben.

Seeing someone in need and feeling unprepared to help prompted them to make a decision: they wanted to be able to do something the next time.

That decision became the Paul Leeder Project.

When I began crocheting Paulies and Freddies for this fundraiser, I knew these little friends had a meaningful job to do. But hearing Kat and Ben’s story helped me understand just how much heart is tucked into each one.

Behind this project is a beloved grandfather, a family’s memories, and two people determined to carry kindness forward.

Paul Leeder was Ben’s grandfather. Although he has passed away, his generosity continues to shape the way his family cares for others.

Ben remembers his grandfather as humble, kind, and remarkably giving. Paul was an artist who painted anything and everything. He loved the outdoors, enjoyed fishing, and helped people without discriminating.

If someone needed him, he was there.

Kat and Ben named the project after Paul because they wanted to honor that giving nature through their own actions.

“We hope to be able to honor him by living through his vision of being kind to people who might not be able to find kindness elsewhere,” Ben shared.

That is the legacy at the heart of the Paul Leeder Project: making sure kindness continues to reach people who need it.

The project began with that encounter before Thanksgiving.

Kat and Ben passed a homeless couple walking in the rain and realized they had nothing to offer. Rather than letting the moment fade, they decided to take action.

They created the Paul Leeder Project to help people who could not find help elsewhere.

Its purpose remains straightforward: provide assistance to anyone who needs it, including food for people who have no other means to obtain it.

There are no forms to fill out before receiving help.

“We are there when many others are not,” Ben explained. “We help anyone.”

Sometimes that assistance means purchasing groceries. Sometimes it means putting gas in a vehicle so those groceries can reach someone’s home.

And sometimes, the most meaningful part is simply that someone shows up.

For Kat and Ben, food insecurity is something they have experienced themselves.

They know what it feels like to struggle, to do without, and to need help when there is no one to turn to.

“We have struggled. We have had food insecurity. We know what it’s like to do without, and have no one to help,” Ben shared. “These are real issues. Serious issues.”

They are grateful to be out of that situation and hope never to return to it. But they have carried the memory of those difficult times into the way they care for others.

It helps explain why the Paul Leeder Project offers assistance with no strings attached. No forms. No questions asked. No obligation to give something in return.

Ben acknowledges that someone may have taken advantage of their generosity before. His response reveals just how deeply he believes in this work:

“If what you are trying to get over on us is getting some food, then I am ok with it.”

Their priority is making sure people can eat.

Having experienced that uncertainty themselves, Kat and Ben understand how much it matters to receive help without having to defend your need for it.

“We aren’t formal. We are real,” Ben said. “If you ask us for help, we will be there to get it to you.”

That willingness to show up comes from lived experience, compassion, and a promise they have made to their community.

Paulie’s story begins on the property Paul Leeder once owned.

During Kat and Ben’s evening walks, opossums are familiar neighbors. They see them in the yard and in the trees, and many opossum families have raised their young on that property.

The first two they named were Paul and Margie.

Their dog, Rufus, adds a little comedy to the story. He wants to be friends with the opossums, but his enthusiasm has frightened some of them into playing possum.

That detail made me smile. It also helped me understand why an opossum is such a fitting mascot for this project.

For Kat and Ben, these animals represent family, home, and the life that continues on a property connected to Paul.

When you bring home a Paulie, you are welcoming a little crochet friend with a family story behind him.

Freddie carries another part of Paul’s story: his love of fishing.

Before Ben was born, Paul caught a largemouth bass and had it mounted. That bass hung in his living room throughout Ben’s life, and the family still has it.

It meant a great deal to Paul. Because of that, it means a great deal to them.

Ben also shared a memory of going catfishing with his grandfather later in life.

Paul had a rod and reel. Ben had an old cane pole.

While his grandfather steadily reeled in fish, Ben had to run up the hill to drag the heavy catfish out of the water. The fish were biting so well that he remembers catching some without any bait on the hook.

You can almost hear the laughter in that memory.

Freddie represents those fishing trips, the familiar bass on the wall, and the time Ben spent with his grandfather.

Ben described seeing these animals brought to life in crochet as a tremendous honor because of what they represent and the memories attached to them.

As the person making them, that means so much to me.

The money raised through this fundraiser will go directly toward the Paul Leeder Project’s Thanksgiving drive.

This will be Kat and Ben’s third year providing Thanksgiving meals. Last year, the project assisted more than 60 families. This year, they hope to help even more.

Behind those meals was a great deal of work and generosity.

A young woman gathered donations from her church. A donor who had been supporting the project for more than a year also contributed. Kat and Ben met the young woman and her mother at Food Lion, where they purchased supplies, separated the groceries, and bagged the meals.

One of the most moving things Ben shared was what happens when they arrive with food.

There is relief. There is gratitude. And there are children whose excitement stays with him.

“The kids act like it’s Christmas,” he said.

Their joy is rewarding to witness, but it also carries heartache. Ben wishes children could be excited about toys without food being something they have to worry about.

The project gives out toys when they have them, too. When extra funding allows, they purchase fun things for the children.

That part of his answer stayed with me.

These deliveries reach real families. They give parents a little breathing room and children something to look forward to. They help make a holiday meal possible.

Kat and Ben do not have donors lining up to fund that work. Keeping the project going takes effort, and every person who chooses to support it matters.

Our Halloween fundraiser friends are $35 each, with 60% of every sale donated to the Paul Leeder Project.

That means $21 from each adoption will help support this year’s Thanksgiving drive.

You can choose a Zombie Paulie, Witch Paulie, Vampire Freddie, or Pumpkin Freddie. Each one is handmade by Naturally, MelissaMade and connected to the family memories that inspired this project.

Our goal is to find homes for 25 fundraiser friends by October 31, raising $525.

Whether you choose one for yourself, your child, a friend, or a gift, your purchase helps Kat and Ben continue showing up for local families.

Choose your fundraiser friend here.

You can also support the Paul Leeder Project through food donations or monetary donations using Cash App or Venmo.

To follow their work, or reach out to Kat and Ben for current donation details or to arrange a food donation, visit the Paul Leeder Project’s Facebook page. They also usually share their activities through The Screven County Observer, whose larger following helps their updates reach more people in the community.

Whether you adopt a fundraiser friend, contribute toward groceries, donate food, or share an update, you can help their work reach another family.

Come join us at the Paul Leeder Project Fall Festival on October 31, from 4 to 9 PM!

I’ll be there with Naturally, MelissaMade, and I would love for you to meet the fundraiser friends whose stories you’ve just read.

It’s a chance to come together, learn more about the project, and support Kat and Ben’s efforts to provide Thanksgiving meals for local families.

Whether you’re hoping to adopt a Paulie or Freddie or simply stop by and say hello, we would love to see you. 💜

Watch the Paul Leeder Project’s Facebook page and The Screven County Observer for festival updates and details.

Paul Leeder’s giving nature left a lasting impression on his grandson.

Today, Ben and Kat honor that memory through groceries purchased, miles driven, meals delivered, and people treated with kindness.

It is a legacy you can see in their actions.

For me, being part of this fundraiser is an opportunity to connect something I make with my hands to something that matters deeply in our community.

Paulie and Freddie carry stories of family, home, and time spent together.

With your help, they can also carry Paul’s kindness to another Thanksgiving table.

💜 Melissa
Naturally, MelissaMade
Handmade with purpose.