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Maybe it’s because of his bad back, or because he needs a cigarette. Perhaps because he has spent most of his life under a roof other than his own, the 46-year-old chronically homeless man from south St. Louis is just more comfortable starting his day early, on his feet.

He walks out of the basement of the Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Soulard, where he is staying in the homeless shelter. After three months, he’ll have to find a new place to sleep at night. He fuels up on a large soda, and then picks up the No. 10 bus, which he takes to , where he spends much of his day.

It’s that place — Places for People — that in a roundabout way connected Bearce to Kathy Acre.

The two first met on the Shrewsbury MetroLink line. Acre, 57, an administrator for a financial services company, was going to work. She and her husband, Kevin, a supervisor at Hollywood Casino, live in the South Hampton neighborhood. On the train, Bearce heard Acre mention Places for People, which provides a variety of services to people in need, including mental health care and housing support. They struck up a conversation.

Now they’re partners, of sorts.

Early this month they were together with other volunteers in another church basement, this one the on South Kingshighway, filling backpacks for homeless people. Bearce is going to get the first one, when they are passed out this fall.

“It’s going to help a whole lot,� Bearce says of the waterproof backpack, with a built in poncho. It will be full of warm socks, knitted scarves and hats made by women in prison, a flashlight, a notebook and pens, some snacks and toiletries.

The project started last year in Acre’s basement. A South Jersey native who remembers her own struggles as a young, single mom, Acre has a heart for those who need a little extra help. For years she worked in Section 8 housing, seeing up close how hard it is for those living below the poverty line to make ends meet.

“The one thing I had, no matter how broke or hungry I was,� Acre says of her own struggles earlier in life, “I had a support system. The people on the street don’t have that.�

So, spurred in part by her relationship with her new friend Eddie, last year, Acre decided to do something about it. On her own, she filled 20 backpacks in her basement with socks and hats and other donations she could scrounge up, and distributed them on the streets of St. Louis.

Ever wonder whether one person can really make a difference?

One year later, Acre’s quest has grown ten-fold in size.

In the past year, Acre’s son, a lawyer in California, incorporated her new venture as a nonprofit, . Acre set up a GoFundMe online account that raised $10,000. She sought more volunteers, and got more sophisticated about what to put in the backpacks and the kind of backpacks to buy. Acre now gets backpacks designed specifically for the homeless from a Chicago nonprofit called .

For Bearce, the built-in poncho and waterproof nature of the backpacks are important. Most homeless folks fill their pockets with plastic bags, he says. Keeping things dry is a constant struggle. The backpack will help immensely.

After completing the assembly line work at the church basement, Acre and her crew have 203 fully stocked backpacks. On Oct. 10, they’ll be distributed at The Bridge Outreach.

“You have to be homeless and you have to want a backpack,� Acre says of the qualifications for the program. “That’s it.�

Next year, Acre hopes to double her output once again.

The backpacks full, Bearce takes out his box-cutter and breaks down cardboard boxes that had held gloves, hats and water bottles. His white hair held back by a headband, and deep lines in a sun-scarred face make him look older than he is. The streets do age a man. On this morning, though, he’s got a pep in his step. He’s excited about getting his own backpack, but also about helping others like him on the streets.

“It makes me feel good about myself,� he says.

Acre’s nonprofit isn’t tied to any faith tradition, but that doesn’t stop Bearce from doing a little proselytizing on his own.

“I’m working for the Lord,� he tells me. “I try to tell somebody about Jesus every day. And I just told you.�

Thanks, Brother Eddie. Stay dry, my friend.

(To volunteer or donate to the backpacks for the homeless program, email Kathy@backatyou.org)