In the photo, the younger version of Augustino Duminuco is leaning against a Mercedes-Benz.
He is wearing sunglasses and a Dolce & Gabbana T-shirt, jeans, running shoes, a chunky, expensive-looking neck chain, bracelet and ring.
鈥淚 was high in that picture,鈥� Duminuco says. 鈥淚 was a kid.鈥�
Over the next several years his drug use will worsen to the point where he will end up homeless.
By providing this background, Duminuco, today the CEO of a 91原创-based construction company, is explaining why, every two or three weeks, he will load up a van with food and other supplies and go looking for homeless people.
In January, the Times reported how Duminuco .
They put out bag lunches, clothes, shoes, blankets and other supplies, then fired up a generator for light.
Duminuco and another person had pooled some money to make it happen, and he had personally paid for a storage locker to accommodate the flood of donations that resulted when they approached local businesses for help.
鈥淚鈥檝e been in some pretty rough spots myself in life and people have helped me, and I remember what that鈥檚 like,鈥� Duminuco said at the time, without going into detail.
In April, Duminuco was one of about a dozen volunteers armed with grabbers and large plastic garbage bags who .
Now, Duminuco is telling his story, explaining why he does what he does.
It鈥檚 because he鈥檚 been there, where the people lining up for sandwiches and clean socks in Douglas Park were, he says.
鈥淚鈥檝e been hungry. I鈥檝e had nowhere to go.鈥�
The young man posing with the expensive car in the photo had a good life growing up in 91原创 until he started experimenting with drugs.
Then, he went from being a good student, to a drop-out, to a drug user and trafficker, Duminuco says.
鈥淚 went from coke, to crack, to crystal meth to heroin,鈥� he says.
鈥淚t consumed my life. I ended up homeless.鈥�
The drugs drove a wedge between Duminuco and his family.
鈥淚 put them through hell.鈥�
Duminuco has three convictions for drug trafficking. His last stay in prison was when things began to change for the better, he says.
Duminuco cleaned up, started studying and when he got out of prison in March 2016, he had a job the very next day.
鈥淚 started out hammering nails.鈥� he says.
鈥淚 went to work. I created structure.鈥�
For about 10 months, things seemed to be going well.
And then, he nearly died.
After about 10 months of sobriety, Duminuco went on a two-week bender that ended with a fentanyl overdose.
鈥淚 was sober and I relapsed,鈥� he says.
鈥淚 was not breathing.鈥�
He was lucky. The paramedics arrived in time with an injection that brought him back.
After that, he says, the trips to help the needy became even more important 鈥� a way of reaching out to others.
struggling like he used to.
Some of the people Duminuco sees when he鈥檚 distributing food and clothing and other essentials are friends he knows from the old days.
鈥淭here鈥檚 guys I went to high school with, they鈥檙e picking up bottles.鈥�
These days, Duminuco is focused on building his businesses, including further expanding his online and social media presence (he has started an online shopping business called Tinods.com that donates 80 per cent of net profits to the community), furthering his education and working out as often as his busy schedule allows.
He鈥檚 earned his construction management diploma and completed accounting courses.
Best of all, he is close to his family again.
His praises his mother and father for their support.
鈥淲ithout my parents, I wouldn鈥檛 be alive right now,鈥� Duminuco says.
His way forward, he says, is to 鈥渟tay healthy, stay sober, build businesses and help our community.鈥�
He wants people reading his story to know that there was a time when he was exactly like the people he is helping and that they can turn their lives around like he did.
鈥淚f I did it, so can you,鈥� he says.
鈥淚 have a saying 鈥� don鈥檛 be pushed by your problems; be led by your dreams.鈥�
dan.ferguson@
