Meet Virginia’s “Pumpkin Man,” a retired Marine turning grief into good

WASHINGTON — Across Virginia neighborhoods, there’s a man whose arrival always sparks curiosity. He doesn’t come with fanfare—just an old F-150 and a purpose. Locals simply call him the Pumpkin Man.

The man behind the nickname, 68-year-old retired Marine Mike Prosser, laughs every time he hears it.

His unlikely title began with a single pumpkin he placed in his backyard. Within days, squirrels, raccoons, and a neighborhood fox had devoured it—seeds and all. That discovery sent Prosser on a mission.

“Most animals love pumpkins,” he said. But most jack-o’-lanterns end up in landfills. So Prosser began collecting discarded pumpkins from around town and delivering them to Hope and Serenity Animal Sanctuary in Fauquier County.

“When he pulls in, the donkeys start braying,” said sanctuary ow