In times of need, Delco opens its heart
One bite of the apple apparently was not enough for the folks over at Proaction Restoration in Ridley.
One hurricane didn’t do the trick either.
Just back from a weeklong mission of mercy in which he took part in the massive restoration project in Texas after the Lone State was battered by Hurricane Harvey, owner Mike McIntyre made a detour on the way back to Delaware County.
Irma called. She left a message: Florida needs help.
In this season of monster hurricanes, the ink had barely faded on the Harvey headlines when Irma took dead aim on the Florida Keys and much of the Sunshine State.
That’s the problem with hurricanes and other natural disasters of this ilk. They remain fresh in our memories for a few days, as we view the devastation left in their wake.
Unfortunately, the need does not fade away nearly as quickly.
That’s why we are forever grateful for people like McIntyre.
And he’s not the only one. Last week McIntyre flew back to Delco from Florida so he could oversee another massive effort of Delcostyle help for hurricane victims. McIntyre and friends loaded a huge Teamsters Local 107 tractor-trailer on Friday.
But the weekend brought no rest for the weary. After all, the suffering in Florida wasn’t taking the weekend off. Neither was McIntyre.
“We were in Corpus Christi (Texas), left last Saturday and we were working out of Naples (Florida) and then we’re going to be trekking our way down to the Keys,” McIntyre explained his mission.
On Friday McIntyre was back on his home turf for the day, overseeing the push to load crucial supplies onto a tractor trailer. It mimicked the effort he launched three weeks earlier, when Hurricane Harvey left much of the Houston area under water.
As usual, Delaware County responded. McIntrye’s crew was overwhelmed with supplies for the Texas Diaper Bank. This time it was cleaning supplies.
McIntyre is not doing this alone. That’s not the way it works. He’s getting donations from several local unions, including Steamfitters Union Local 420 and IBEW Local 654. Then he turned to one of his suppliers, Schaper’s Cleaning and Restoration Supply. The result? A truckload of badly needed disinfectants, rags, trash can liners, dust masks and gloves.
Friday night donations of nonperishable food, sheets and cleaning products were collected at the Bonner-O’Hara football game.
Even the kids at Lakeview Elementary School in Ridley got involved. They raised nearly $900 during a fund-raising drive at the school.
Chris Capozzoli, a fifth-grader in teacher Tracy Morris’ class, noticed that kids in Texas were still not back in school because of the devastation of Harvey.
Chris, a member of the Ridley school’s Leadership Team, spearheaded a coin collection that was organized by Morris.
The kids raised nearly $900 that will be sent to the Save the Children Foundation to help the schools in Texas get back on the road to recovery.
School Principal Gloria Goldey said the push was dubbed “Coins Because We Care.”
“It was for children, by children,” Goldey noted. “We stress the importance of kindness and giving back in our school and they (students) certainly showed it with the collection. And it’s what they hear at home, too.”
There’s been no shortage of businesses and individuals across Delaware County who have responded to the needs in hurricane-affected areas.
Nickson Home Services in Marcus Hook was one of the first to get involved with a fund-raising effort. In Morton the Coffee Station held a special spaghetti dinner night with the proceeds going to hurricane relief. They raised $12,000. Providence Animal Center undertook a mission of mercy to bring pets from the flood-ravaged areas of Houston back here for adoption.
McIntyre and friends are just the latest visible symbol of everything that is good about Delaware County.
If you’re in need, we’ll be there for you. We’ll open our hearts – and our wallets.
The stories will fade. The headlines will go away. But the need won’t. Neither will people like Mike McIntyre. And all the others.
And for that we are eternally grateful. And proud. Delco Proud!