WILMINGTON, MA — Wilmington Supports Recovery’s Holiday Drive was an overwhelming success.
Residents were asked to drop off supplies (“basic necessities”) at designated donation boxes around town between November 19 and December 18. All supplies were requested by, and will be donated to, addiction treatment facilities in the area.
Dozens of volunteers, young and old, met Saturday morning in the West Intermediate School’s cafeteria to sort donations.
The results were phenomenal:
- More than $3,000 of supplies and gifts were anonymously donated.
- With all those donations, 160 gift bags filled with requested supplies (basic necessities) were put together for addicts recovering in local treatment centers this Christmas. (Lahey Behavioral Health Addiction Services assisted in creating the supply lists.)
- In addition to donating supplies, residents donated more than $600. These funds went towards the purchase of additional supplies for the gift bags.
- Wilmington Girl Scouts (Troop 66771) packaged many of the gift bags and left a hand-made card with each.
- Christmas gifts will be given to 14 women in recovery and their children. (Amazon Robotics in North Reading sponsored 10 of the families.)
“I was blown away when I walked into the cafe and saw all the people volunteering and all the donations they were sorting,” said organizer Kendal Vaughan. “I can’t even wrap my head around the thousands and thousands of dollars of donated supplies that people anonymously contributed…. From the bottom of my heart, thank you all!”
Wilmington School Superintendent Mary DeLai, a big supporter of the initiative, was on hand for the sorting and blogged about the experience earlier this week.
Below are a few photos from the event, courtesy of Twitter:
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