Rhode Island teen buys contents of storage units at auction to return to owners

WAKEFIELD, R.I. (WJAR) — A high school sophomore in Rhode Island has turned a hobby into an act of kindness.

For the past several years, 16-year-old Shane Jones has been collecting second-hand items.

"It's just something fun to do. Doesn't usually take up space. I focus on small stuff, bottles, coins, and I go to yard sales," said Jones. "I metal detect. I like recovering things."

A few months ago, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Jones said he discovered how to purchase a storage unit at auction.

"I watched different people who were buying them off YouTube," said Jones. "I had some money saved from a job I worked last summer, so I bought one for about $100."

The first unit he purchased was from a facility in Providence. He took the trip up there to empty it out and see what kind of "treasure" was inside. Originally, his plan was to sell the items but then the reality of why he was able to purchase the storage unit in the first place set in for him.

"I started off hoping to keep some of it and then throw out the rest, but then I realized this isn't just something like yard sales where they gave it to me and sold it to me. This is where their stuff was taken because they couldn't pay it," said Jones. "There was mail and a lot of personal documents in a pile. That's the time I realized this is not just junk. This is someone's personal belongings that they lost."

Jones made it his mission to track down the former owner.

When he couldn't get in touch with him, he said he found the man's mother who had been living in a nursing home and he offered to give her all of the items.

"It was a nice thing to do. It felt good," said Jones.

After that experience, he used his money to purchase another unit in Narragansett.

"The one was in Narragansett. It was actually a guy's brother I connected with who had no idea his brother had a storage unit, and it had family heirlooms in it," said Jones. "They were all very happy, especially the guy whose brother's it was. He tried to offer me money, but I didn't accept it. It was something to do, and it was nice."

Most recently, he purchased a large storage unit from an auction in Johnston.

Once again, he made it his mission to track down the previous owner.

"It was a woman from Connecticut. She fell on hard times, couldn't get the stuff back, and most of the stuff was baby stuff," said Jones. "Her baby passed away."

Jones arranged a time and a place for the woman to pick up her stuff. She then messaged Jones's mother to let them know she'd been in tears because the items in the storage unit had been all she had left of her baby.

"Gratitude, really a lot of gratitude. She was just really happy," said Jones. "I don't mind doing this when I have the funds. It's not mine. They didn't purposely give it to me, so why let other people suffer as I succeed?"