HOPKINTON - The town pulled out all the stops for the
families of 65 Main St. left homeless when an explosion demolished their
apartment building - so much so that excess donations were distributed
yesterday to four local charities.
Selectmen's office manager Geri Holland, along with Vineyard Church
Pastor Rob Davis and Department of Public Works workers Russle Lukey, Jaime
Stewart and Kenny Swenson teamed up at Pyne Sand and Stone on Fruit Street
at 11 a.m. to help pass out furniture, clothing and toys left over from
efforts to aid the Hopkinton families.
Davis said Holland organized both the initial drive to aid the families
and the effort to distribute the excess items.
When they planned what to do with the excess - enough to fit inside the
container section of a tractor-trailer truck - they decided to give
Hopkinton charities first shot at the goods, Davis said.
That meant Serenity House, a place where women addicted to drugs and
alcohol receive counseling and a safe place to work on rebuilding their
lives, was first on the list.
Also on hand to collect items from the stockpile were FOR Families, which
aids homeless persons placed in hotels by the state; Medway House, a
homeless shelter aiding MetroWest families; and WAVES, or Westborough Abuse
and Violence Education and Support, which supports battered women's shelters
in MetroWest.
Motel 6 was also on hand to collect and distribute whatever remained at
the end of the day through its corporate program to help the homeless.
Yesterday, Holland directed Lukey, Stewart and Swenson to climb into the
trailer and unload the items stored there for the last two weeks after
they'd moved it to free Hopkinton Middle School for opening day.
"These guys are great, I'll tell ya," Holland said as the trio
turned out the full trailer, creating a piled cornucopia of useful things.
Watching the goods pile up were Stacy Parchesky and Marianne Hazard of
Medway House, which provides emergency shelter for 11 homeless MetroWest
families.
Also on hand was Barrent Bartley, a driver for Serenity House, who showed
up with client Kerry Ptak to pick up whatever they thought might be useful.
"Anybody want a TV?" Holland asked.
"Sure, we'll take a TV," Barrent replied, relieving Holland of
the burden and packing it aboard the charity's van.
Joining the TV were a table and chairs and a chest of drawers, along with
bundled clothing, stuffed animals and games.
"It's awesome. Unbelievable," said Ptak, who has been a
resident at Serenity House for about three weeks. "People around here
are very generous."
Kathy Cavaretta, a staff worker with WAVES, said that generosity was
greatly appreciated, particularly in light of hard times under which
everyone is suffering.
"It's wonderful. We're really excited. Especially with all the
budget cuts, it's hard to purchase these things," she said.
Among the things were lamps, a couch, two glass cabinets, several
microwaves, cribs, strollers, toys, books, games, coffee mugs, dishes,
videos and stuffed animals.
"Everything has been checked for safety," Holland said,
indicating the stuffed animals. "We had an auxiliary police officer
come out and check all the stuffed animals for safety."
The statement elicited relieved sighs from all the charity workers, who
quickly returned to loading various items aboard their vans, SUVs and cars.
All of the families the items were originally collected to help have
begun rebuilding and are no longer in need of the furniture and living
supplies, Holland said.
Even Heath and Tara Carey, parents of Iris Carey, 4, and Violet Carey, 5,
who were killed in the collapsed building, have taken all they need from the
stockpile.
Richard Maijs, a single man who lived at the ruined apartment building,
has found a new home on Main Street due to Holland's vigilance. She was able
to match him with a vacancy near his former home within weeks.
A mother of three who used to live there has been offered the use of a
Hopkinton woman's home until the spring, Holland said.
While Holland admits organizing the donations collection and distribution
isn't part of her job description, "As a Christian woman, it is,"
she said.
