While driving from the Downers Grove train station to his home in Woodridge during a November snowstorm, Marine Corp. Capt. Ramarro Lamar spotted a man walking in the middle of the street.

Lamar stopped the man, who said his name was Michael Crump, who told Lamar he was walking to the Downers Grove train station from his job at the Walmart in Darien.

With a mile or two left to walk, Lamar offered Crump a ride to the train station.

Lamar learned that the 10-mile walk to and from the Downers Grove train station was a frequent commute for the father of nine who lives on Chicago’s west side.

Crump took the job at the Darien Walmart because, at the time he was looking for a job, the store was one of the few places hiring, he told Lamar.

Without a vehicle and a work schedule that doesn’t coincide with the Pace bus route, the 5-mile walk from the train station to Walmart was one Crump made rather frequently.

An active member of the Marine Corps, Lamar, who was preparing for law school finals at the time, had just spent a 12- to 14-hour day studying on campus.

“I was exhausted,” said Lamar, who plans to become a judge advocate general once he completes law school at the University of Illinois Chicago.

Lamar said there was little question he’d try to help Crump.

“I have a bias for action,” Lamar said. “When I see something that needs to be done, I don’t wait for the perfect moment or the perfect team. You’ve got to use the resources you have to get involved.”

The two exchanged contact information before Crump headed back to the city on a Metra train.

“I was so moved by his story,” Lamar said.

“This gentleman is going the extra mile to take care of business,” he added. “Literally walking in knee-high snow. I had no excuses. I had to do something.”

Lamar said going to bed that night was hard “because there was a man walking in the snow who was cold and tired. It did not sit well with me.”

“This community means more to me than any amalgamation of words jumbled together could ever quantify,” said Lamar, who moved to Downers Grove when he was in sixth grade.

“We live in an incredible community and with the support of friends and family,” he added.

Within 48 hours and finals preparation still on his plate, Lamar created a GoFundMe campaign to provide Crump with reliable transportation and winter gear.

With the help of a fellow Downers Grove South High School alum who is now a mechanic, the two set out to find a vehicle for Crump and his family.

To date, the GoFundMe has raised almost $3,000 more, and with some of Lamar’s own money, he and his former classmate were able to purchase a used Toyota minivan.

They drove the vehicle to the Darien Walmart, where they presented it to Crump in mid-December.

Additional funds were provided to help with title and registration, Lamar said.

“He gave me the biggest bear hug with tears rolling down his face,” he said.

To donate or learn more information, visit the GoFundMe page.