Pitching In On The Home Front

By Kendra Bobowick

Paige Fischer brushed the debris of hard work from her hands and talked about the projects she and roughly 28 other people from Trinity Episcopal Church had done Saturday, May 7.

She noted the painting, gardening, interior and exterior repairs she and others had begun at 7 that morning at an Alpine Circle residence through an outreach program, and were still doing at 2 pm to help homeowner Marie Parker and her son Kevin Parker.

“You have to take care of your own community,” said Ms Fischer. The Trinity team took part in the 24th annual HomeFront Day “designed to keep financially struggling families in their homes,” according to one press release. Formerly under the auspices of AmeriCares, HomeFront is an independent program with a mission to keep low-income neighbors in their homes with an improved quality of life through the completion of repairs at no cost to them. More information can be found online at www.homefrontprogram.org.

 “It’s been a great day,” said volunteer Paget Haylon. Hoping to work without an interruption from the weather, she joked, “We did a rain dance.”

Ms Fischer’s husband Todd Fischer worked to repaint and bolster a small deck off the home’s entrance. Behind the house, Jennifer Peterson wore coveralls and painted the back deck and railing. Her first year with Trinity, Ms Peterson said the effort would help prepare her for a weeklong work camp she would attend with her son in New Jersey. The group will be doing similar community-minded work.

Ms Peterson had said the local effort is “nice to do in your own town.”

Both Kevin and Marie Parker stepped outside while work took place indoors to repair cabinets, kitchen counters, remove black mold, etc. “Our biggest problem was the mold; I couldn’t do it myself,” Mr Parker said.

“I can’t thank everyone enough,” Ms Parker added.

Also taking place in Sandy Hook Center was a Newtown Lions Club effort in the same spirit as HomeFront. Lions Club members and United Methodist Church members made repairs and adaptations to a Washington Avenue home where the homeowner had recently begun using a walker. The resident had asked for small platforms near doors to accommodate a walker. Other repairs included repainting and repairing kitchen cabinets, and clearing out several downstairs rooms.

Lions member Jerry Cole returned late in the afternoon to rehang two remaining cabinet doors that carried a fresh coat of paint that had not dried earlier. Sweeping up was Newtown Social Services Director Ann Piccini, who had helped the Lions identify this particular home for an outreach project. Mr Cole explained that annually, the Lions try to do something on the first weekend of May.