\u201cI like to live, have fun, do Legos, drink beer, hug people, go to concerts, and help out anywhere I can,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Russo is not from Manchester. When asked, he will tell you he is from everywhere, which is true. Born in Connecticut, Russo would find himself taking the one-hour train ride to New York, where he said he loved being immersed in all of the different cultures. At 28 years old, he packed up and moved across the country for a new adventure in Portland. He would take a position as a merchandiser for the multinational clothing company H&M.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The job would take him around the country and finally land him in Tennessee, where he would open a store at Cool Springs Galleria in Franklin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Upon his arrival in Tennessee, Russo said that he loves The Volunteer State, which reminds him of Portland because of the greenery and the mountains. He added that the company started to change in a way that left Russo deciding it was time for him to also make a change. He then said he was \u201csaved in Tennessee.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHonestly, when all of this came about, I looked at God and said, \u2018I don\u2019t want it to all be about me; I want to stay humble.\u2019\u201d he explained. \u201cWhat should I talk about? I\u2019m a Christian, but I don\u2019t look like a typical Christian. They saw my car, my dreads, my clothes, and immediately asked for drugs. While this is a misconception on their part, I decided to see it as an opportunity for me to share the gospel and be kind. An opportunity to show what God has done in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Through social media, he met members of a church in Murfreesboro. Russo said they all quickly became friends, and the rest is history. He began to share his story wherever he could and do acts of kindness whenever possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI try to be what God has been to me,\u201d said Russo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After moving to Manchester, he would find another place to share an act of kindness and gain a second family, and a second job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI used to hang out at the [Common John] brewery all the time, and one day it was super slammed,\u201d he said. \u201cTheir dishes were piling up, so I just took it upon myself to go and do the dishes. I was friends with everyone at this point, but they all looked at me when I went back and started to help. It started to happen more and more, and I was happy to help. One day I went to hang out, and after I finished helping with dishes, I went to pay my tab and was told that there was nothing to pay.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n After a very friendly argument over the responsibility of the tab, Russo conceded to letting them take care of it in thanks for his service. He also was offered a job at the brewery as well. Common John Brewing Co. owner LeBron Haggard said that Russo is a blessing to those he is around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cJeffrey is so uplifting to be around,\u201d he said. \u201cHe is always happy and energetic. When there is someone in need, he\u2019s there to help. If he doesn\u2019t have a resource to help, he\u2019ll find one.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Russo said that his help is always out of love. \u201cI don\u2019t do what I do for expectations in return,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s like my job at Common Johns. I\u2019m not doing this because I know you are going to take money off of my tab. I\u2019m doing this because I love you, and you have a lot of dishes, and I don\u2019t mind.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Russo said that it is an honor to walk through life showing kindness and sharing his faith. It\u2019s not about changing someone\u2019s mind; it\u2019s about loving them anyway and watching that love change them and everything around them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI disagree with a lot of things, but just because I disagree with someone doesn\u2019t mean that I can\u2019t love them or give them the shirt off of my back if they need it,\u201d he said. \u201cBecause if I live my life in a certain way, I don\u2019t need to go throwing Bibles at people. They will see it, and they\u2019ll ask me questions. I don\u2019t have to do anything; I just have to live. You can say all day to be kind, but if I don\u2019t show you what being kind looks like, how are people going to know? The importance behind it, whether you\u2019re a Christian or not, does immeasurable good.\u201d GN<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Manchester’s Jeffrey Russo is all about acts of kindness or offering a friendly word to his fellow man while enjoying hugs, beer, and concerts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":1178,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[25],"class_list":["post-1176","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feature","tag-december"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/DSC_2528-1-1024x812.jpg\")
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