Block · one region of the page, as the scanner read it. It may hold a whole story, part of one, several, or an advertisement; stitching blocks into articles is the next step. Text is supplied OCR.
Page 1 · column 2 of 5 · from the scan, no model involved
By M. SEAN KILPATRICK
' Rappahannock N«w« Staff Writer
The Rappahannock Loan Closet isn’t what it sounds like.
So the volunteers who staff this vital service for the community have decided to change its name to Rappahannock Convalescent Aids.
For more than five years a small group of volunteers has been collecting all manner of things to help those recovering from serious illness and then lending them out at no cost
“We loan things like hospital beds, wheel chairs, walkers, and the like that people need,” said Dot Mank, one of the dedicated volunteers. “People really need these things and we have people who have had to keep some of our aids for two years,” she said.
“Winter and early spring is our heaviest season, when most of our inventory is lent out,” she said.
As a result it is possible in December to move around the storage shed on the grounds of the former Washington High School where the convalescent aids are stored. During the summer and fall when demand is less, the building is stuffed to overflowing.
“We need a bigger storage space with power and lights, at least 1,200 square feet,” Mrs. Mank said. The lights are important because so often people come to pick up things after work and it too dark in here to work safely, she said. She also needs volunteers who are willing to help check the beds and such in and out of storage. “We only meet three times a year,” she said of the group that would rather work than meet.
Joining Mrs. Mank in this effort are her husband, Sid, Mary Williams, Sara Latham, and Ethel Bailey. i$
“We must tell you that the Rappahannock lions have been marvelou# to us. They have helped us time and time again,’’prs. Mank said.
For the past several years the group has served about 75 persons a year in this county alone.
“The need is there, but it is difficult to expand our services without additional storage space and volunteers,” she added.
'«*•£ '
.^rvv
79.2%