Lee Parker and Ivan White have received constant attention since they discovered the explosives Sunday. Watch video
ELIZABETH -- Two men are being heralded as heroes after they stumbled upon a bag full of pipe bombs Sunday, alerted authorities and likely saved dozens from injury.
Just a week later, much is already different for them. For one thing, Lee Parker is no longer homeless.
Be the Change NJ, a group of Kean University students and staff, has set up the 50-year-old with an efficiency room at a local hotel. Norma Bowe, a Kean professor, is working with the Elizabeth Coalition to House the Homeless to find him a permanent place to live.
Local non-profit At Heart's Length, meanwhile, has helped the public raise more than $25,000 to reward Parker and Ivan White for their good deed. That money will be split three ways between the two men and the coalition.
And media requests from across the country keep pouring in to get the pair on camera to tell their story.
But 56-year-old White, who has an apartment, is looking for something else.
"I hope the mayor gives me the key to the city," White said.
"Well, we don't have a key, but we have a plate," Elizabeth Mayor J. Christian Bollwage told NJ Advance Media on Wednesday.
The city council plans to honor Parker and White at a ceremony 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at city hall, where White may get his wish.
Councilman Carlos Torres said Thursday the city was making plans to create a key just for the two men.
"Should I shave and put a tie on?" White asked the councilman.
Parker and White found the five pipe bombs in a backpack at North Broad Street and Julian Place around 8 p.m. Sunday, the day after explosives went off in Seaside Park and New York City. In the Chelsea incident, 29 people were hurt. Authorities have charged Ahmad Khan Rahami, of Elizabeth, in all three incidents.
"These two people (Parker and White) were on the fringe of society, but they were clearly walking with angels that night," Bollwage said. Union County's freeholders plan to honor the pair Thursday, and the state legislature intends to recognize the duo Oct. 20.
In the meantime, the public is showering them with support.
Bowe took Parker food shopping Wednesday -- something Parker hasn't been able to afford for months.
"You know, superheroes got to eat," Parker said with a smile.
Be the Change NJ takes Lee Parker shopping for new clothes to prepare for his interview on BBC, where he and Ivan White recounted finding a backpack full of pipe bombs Sunday night. (Photo courtesy of Norma Bowe)Be the Change NJ and the manager of Elizabeth's Stop & Shop also gave Parker gift cards for future groceries, but Bowe said he used almost half the funds to take his mother grocery shopping.
Before Parker and White's BBC interview Friday, Bowe and her group collaborated to buy Parker a new shirt, pants, shoes and a tie. One of the student members even donated a mountain bike.
"Lee almost cried," Bowe said.
At First Baptist Church on Thursday morning, White was the man of the hour -- but not because he alerted police to the bombs.
He's been running the show at the church's food bank twice a month since the spring, and this Thursday was no different.
Besides people thanking him for calling the cops, White said, it was business as usual. He organizes the outdoor portion of the operation, which provides canned goods and fresh produce to people who cycle through.
On Thursday, he ran over to show a woman where the potatoes were and asked patrons to stay on the right side of the table. After the customers were gone, he pushed around a rolling dumpster as he cleaned up the area.
He's the food bank's cheerleader, rule enforcer and recipe recommender, wrapped into one.
"All the corn you want!" he called out to two women standing by a bin.
A few minutes later, he was instructing a man on cooking zucchini: "Hit it with the Italian (seasoning), thyme and rosemary."
As patrons trickled out and White finished cleaning, he reflected on last Sunday, a day he isn't likely soon to forget.
"Villainry was thwarted," he said.
Then, a beat later, with a smile: "That's a good quote, isn't it?"
Craig McCarthy may be reached at CMcCarthy@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @createcraig. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Marisa Iati may be reached at miati@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @Marisa_Iati. Find NJ.com on Facebook.