click to enlarge
Tucked beside the West Newbury post office is an inconspicuous shed with sliding glass doors. Inside, the wooden walls are plastered with posters, public notices, and lost-and-found notes. Free books line one wall, and surplus veggies crowd another. Residents pass in and out throughout the week, dropping off goods and claiming others. The tiny wooden shack has a small sign hanging out front: "Neighbors Sharing With Neighbors."
The "Sharing Shed" — installed around 2009 by a group of local churchgoers — is part of a much larger mutual aid project known as the Backroom. Patsy Cole has led the nondenominational effort for the past 14 years.
"We wanted to meet the unfulfilled needs of our community," said Cole, who coordinates a network of volunteers who aid their neighbors in a variety of ways.
"We don't say 'needy,'" Cole said of the people they serve. "We say 'need a boost.'"
About 15 volunteers provide various boosts: They drop off warm meals. They plow and sand driveways and stack wood. They deliver food baskets at Thanksgiving and Christmas to about 20 local families. And when an unforeseen need emerges, the volunteers are ready.
"We are very, very quiet about our work," said Cole, who fiercely protects the confidentiality of beneficiaries. Many, according to Cole, are "stoic" seniors reluctant to ask for help. Some of them eagerly volunteer with the group.
"It's not necessarily a big public event [when someone needs help]," Cole said. "It's more, 'I just learned that this person's husband died' or 'This man is supporting a wife who just had a heart attack.'"
This fall, Cole, who is 73, is passing the baton. She's ready to slow down and spend more time with her grandkids. Carolyn Keck, a longtime volunteer for the Backroom, will take over. Cole will ease Keck into the position and provide assistance.
"We've done a lot of good in the past 10 years, I guess," Cole said, reflecting on her tenure.