Date: Fri 07-May-1999

Publication: Bee

Author: CURT

Quick Words:

AmeriCares-HomeFront

Full Text:

HomeFront Day Brings Volunteers Out In Force

(with photos)

Thousands of volunteers in Connecticut and New York spent last weekend lending

hands-on assistance to needy neighbors for the 12th Annual AmeriCares

HomeFront Day. Volunteer groups from the Newtown Congregational Church and the

St Rose Knights of Columbus converged on three homes in Newtown and Sandy Hook

to make much-needed household repairs.

For the second year in a row, volunteers spent the day at Maria Pavone's home

on Huntingtown Road. Last year, the Knights of Columbus did the work, and this

year the volunteers were from Newtown Congregational Church. They arrived at 8

am and finished up about 10 hours later. The 18 workers on the site cleaned up

debris in the yard, painted the house, and repaired a section of roof. Their

efforts were backed up by six others who brought lunch and refreshments.

Meanwhile at homes near Sandy Hook Center and in Shady Rest, KofC members were

doing similar tasks.

AmeriCares estimates that its volunteers applied 5,252 gallons of paint,

hauled away 16 trailer loads of debris, and used over 100,000 building supply

items and materials, delivering about 10 weeks of time and skills at each

site.

AmeriCares HomeFront is the largest domestic outreach program of the

AmeriCares Foundation, the private non-profit disaster relief and humanitarian

aid organization. The HomeFront volunteer teams are supported by hundreds of

sponsoring companies, religious, educational, and civic organizations,

development and foundation grants, and donations of individual gifts and

municipal services. Each project is also aided by donated products, building

materials, services, and professional labor.