WKU News

A rising WKU sophomore is continuing to make a difference in the homeless community.

It’s an effort he started when he was just 13 years old as WKU’s Amy Bingham explains in this week’s View from the Hill.

“I usually look forward to it even when it’s cold or anything like that and even if I’m not particularly looking forward to it, I still get up and do it.”

Ryan Depp has been serving the homeless community since 2016.

“I know a lot of them. We’ve known each other for years. We both know each other by name.”

Ryan was only 13 when he began looking for ways to help.

“Earlier we would also do blankets and socks and shoes but that got too complex to handle so we just went back to food only.”

Along with his dad Doug, Ryan feeds anywhere from 40 to 80 people every week.

“He’s been helping me out since the beginning.  He’s really been crucial in putting plans together and he was the one who would always help me out in getting stuff and preparing it.”

Ryan says it was his own bout with depression as a young teen that put him on this path.

“I had been going through a long period of depression and other sort of issues and that experience kind of opened me up to seeing other issues in the world and start seeing other people’s problems and suffering.”

Seeing that the homeless were typically ignored, he created “Ryan’s Making a Difference Outreach,” an official 501-C3 nonprofit. 

Even though he’s now in college, Ryan has no plans to slow down.  In fact, he hopes to inspire others to take action as well.

“The main takeaway would be that if you feel like you can’t do anything, I think you can and that if you just put your mind to it you can make a difference in the world.”

Ryan says rising costs have made donations more important than ever.  If you’d like to donate or volunteer, go to Ryan’s Making a Difference Outreach page on Facebook. They accept both money and gift cards.