A week later, deep inside Alaska Airlines Arena, Cronin patiently answered a reporter’s questions about travel and playing on nearly every day of the week, even if he had trouble keeping them straight.

The foundation has patiently bought a few at a time — in between more-pressing needs — working down the list of 106 stations.

One woman had been waiting patiently for an hour and a half to see whether she even had a home.

With a sun visor on backward and a pen stuck in the elastic band, he patiently removed one of his earbuds to better hear a reporter ask why he was still making deliveries.

“The definition of ‘phobia’ is the extreme or irrational fear of something,” Neal patiently explains while continuing to make breakfast.