Veterans Day is a day off for most Americans. But for Sonny, a Marine Corps veteran himself, it was a day on.
"I sell the paper six, sometimes seven days a week to pay my rent," he says, "You know, to have a roof over my head."
A Real Change vendor for two and a half years, Sonny sells an average of 600-700 papers a month. In fact, he's sold more than 600 papers monthly since he first started. A hard worker, no doubt. But he enjoys it, too.
"It's a pretty good paper," he says, "you meet a lot of new people, new friends."
He hopes to continue selling it, perhaps part time. But for now it's a full time job, and Sonny depends on a regular customer base to subsidize his income and pay the rent. "Housing is my biggest issue," he says, "that's why I'm out here."
To his devoted customers, he says "Thank you."
"And keep buying the paper," he laughs.