Helping Hands for Seniors: when the village is an army

ALTON — Never did Maureen, who is 82 and struggles with emphysema and heart disease, expect this streak of good fortune — which she instantly labeled a miracle. But more than good luck, it turned out to be a bounty of good will.

Now, through Helping Hands for Seniors in the Lakes Region and its battalion of volunteers, helpers who are no longer strangers will come to scrape and paint Maureen’s peeling house. She paid dearly for this job two years ago, but was bilked by a contractor who applied latex over oil paint – a clear no-no even for amateurs.

That’s not the entire happy ending.

With up to $2,000 raised through a Go-Fund-Me page created by one of the volunteers – a local real estate agent - the Alton widow will have an unexpected check to put in the bank. It will help her to pay for season’s worth of home heating fuel.

“I didn’t expect it in a million years. They’re going to send someone to do some gardening for me, too,” said Maureen, who is overwhelmed by the generosity of the network that helps seniors in need. “I see a car pull up and a man gets out and waves to me.  I thought it was an April Fool’s joke. I said, I can’t believe this.”

Since the spring of 2020, when Helping Hands began in Erika Willette’s garage in Laconia, the homegrown charity has helped hundreds of homebound elders with delivered food, donated medical equipment and household supplies, and volunteers who do chores, are happy to make older friends, and will chat with them by phone during the week.

“Sometimes we get calls from people who can’t afford groceries or are in desperate need of clothes,” said Willette, whose car is often stacked to the roof with donated apparel and non-perishables to distribute. Recently, Helping Hands volunteers helped move an elder without a home into a new apartment, stocking it with furniture and supplies from the St. Vincent de Paul Society. The volunteer who checks on him weekly found him stuck in bed and called 9-1-1. Helping Hands was able to procure an electric scooter to get him mobile again.

“I’ve got the batteries all charged and I’m ready to go for a maiden voyage,” said the man, who asked that his name not be used. “I didn’t know anything about Helping Hands until they came to me. It’s a godsend, unbelievable. I have a scooter, food and kitchen goodies, and a microwave and a toaster and a rotisserie. These guys are very, very helpful. And they don’t charge you anything to do it. That’s what I said, 'Wow.'”

Frequently Helping Hands’ value-added centers on providing a friendly voice and smile.  

But when the group's founders, Willette and Sarah Boelig, fielded a call last week from Catholic Charities requesting a home repair that was considerably beyond the scope of the projects usually handled by Helping Hands, Willette switched to a backup plan. She posted Maureen’s request on Alton’s community Facebook Page.

Local real estate agent, Aaron Dore, a co-owner of Dore Holland Home Group, was the first to respond. “I didn’t see anyone reaching out. It’s always nice to help someone who needs a little extra help,” Dore said. The next day he started a GoFundMe page to collect individual donations, which amassed $1,200 in less than a week.

Jeremy Decker, who lives roughly a mile from Maureen’s house, also spotted the post, and offered his labor plus two helpers from his business, JD & Son Painting. “Help out when you can. Hopefully it comes back around,” said Decker, who said he typically paints for free once a year, for an elderly, low-income person whose home urgently needs a fresh coat.

Dave Prue of Gilford, who owns On Point Property Solutions, also saw the message on Alton’s Facebook page, and joined the squad of volunteers. “I follow all the community pages in the Lakes Region. I’ll help someone if I have the time,” said Prue.

More than just a service to struggling, homebound seniors in Lakes Region, in the space of two years Helping Hands has ballooned into an impressive workforce with 883 volunteers who have signed on to fill the sudden and assorted needs of seniors who lack the means to pay, or the ability to perform the labor themselves. Despite expanding through social media and word of mouth, Helping Hands remains little known to seniors, said Willette. It’s a standing army that’s waiting and available and eager to serve, she said.

In the wake of COVID-19, with variants lurking anywhere there are people, many older residents prefer to stay put and don’t like to ask for help, said Willette. “You’ve got the serious risk of catching COVID. The fear is still very real for seniors. A lot of seniors are on their own,” she said. “Their friends have passed away, and their loved ones live out of state. It’s hard to them to know where to look for help.”

Helping Hands gets calls from churches, charities and town and city workers who are aware of what the organization does, as well as from seniors who need help. When a call comes in, Willette acts as an agent and expediter, putting a list of supplies and services required on the Helping Hands Facebook page. In many cases, volunteers step up quickly, sometimes within minutes, offering the assistance and materials sought and more.

But awareness of Helping Hands is lagging behind the growth of the volunteer force, said Willette. It’s a charity without strict income limits or documentation required. It’s also a service without administrative or processing delays.

“People don’t know we’re here unless they see the Facebook group or know somebody who knows about us,’” said Willette. Sometimes pride is also a stumbling block.

“They don’t want to ask,” said Dore, who has lived in Alton for 42 years and remembers helping his grandparents on Main Street. “But people are more than willing to help.”

For Maureen, it’s a little like winning a lottery you didn’t buy a ticket for. Her prize goes beyond the paint. Aubuchon Hardware in Alton has pledged to donate the necessary paint and supplies – a gift she didn’t expect. That will mean the money collected for the project will go directly to her, minus the platform’s processing fees.

Willette and Boelig hope seniors will keep calling, and churches, charities and towns will keep referring new clients.

“I have a lot of donated medical equipment waiting in my garage,” said Willette. She has shower benches, commodes, wheelchairs, walkers, and canes – some of which went to a senior who just received a replacement hip. Just as often, companionship requests trickle in.

“People want someone to talk to,” said Willette, and many of the volunteers will listen and visit by phone. “We have a lot of people who are just really lonely. They want someone to check in on them and ask how their day is going.”

For more information on Helping Hands or to request assistance, call Willette at 603-293-5181.