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'It's felt': Family whose moving truck was stolen finds community in KC

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Holmes family's life in Kansas City started at a Days Inn on Hillcrest Road, but it wasn't the beginning they had anticipated.

Still, Sabrina and Paul Holmes almost want to thank the alleged thief who took all of their possessions, because it connected the family to a true sense of community.

"Waiting in line (at Costco) and this guy wants to buy our food for us,” Paul Holmes said. “We're sitting down and a guy's like, 'Oh, you dropped $40,' somebody else. We go to our car and a lady runs up to us.”

Paul, Sabrina and their two sons, Josiah and John, came to Kansas City from Doniphan, Missouri, with a new adventure on the horizon. But on the morning of April 5, they discovered that someone had stolen a U-Haul truck with all of their possessions inside. The alleged thief also made off with their vehicle, a Nissan Leaf, hitched to the truck.

After their story spread last week, the family says unexpected acts of kindness turned one of the worst times in their lives into a blessing.

"Just dropping off stuff," Sabrina Holmes said. "And the house was empty when we came and then before the night, we had beds to sleep in and dishes to eat on and glasses to drink out of, you know?”

Paul had left the truck at the Days Inn while he went back to Doniphan to bring his family to Kansas City.

"At first I was feeling really concerned," he said, adding that questions such as “what have we done?” and “did we make the right choice?” were going through their minds.

But when complete strangers started giving the family clothes, furniture, personal keepsakes, bikes for the boys and even potholders, it erased their doubts completely.

"I didn't personally expect from such a big city people making it feel like a small town, like really wanting to connect with us and wanting to help us and everything," Paul said. "It really stopped feeling like a big city almost right away."

The Holmes family is simple: They enjoy spending time with one another more than they value material things. Now, however, the "things" people donated mean so much more, Sabrina said.

"It's really a huge deal for us that Kansas City has opened their arms to us the way they have, because community is really an important thing for us,” she said.

Police are still looking for a suspect in the theft, but the Holmes family said they have already found their home.

"I want to thank everyone. And just let you know that your love is felt here,” Sabrina said. “And that your presence through your gifts, whether it was financially or something we're sitting on, it's felt.”

The family moved here for Paul's work in motor control software design. A prototype, a red motor, was in the moving truck.

Police are asking anyone who has seen the stolen items or has any information about the theft to call Crimestoppers.

The family's real estate agent has started a GoFundMe to help with expenses. It has raised more than $13,000 so far.