Salem Comes Together to Help Family

Members of the Salem community have begun to come together to assist a local family that has fell into some very hard financial and personal times.

The Wehkoja family recently put together a CrowdRise.com post and shared their story with others, asking for financial assistance. They let Patch know about the fundraising effort and we shared it with readers.

In a little more than a week, the effort had raised nearly $700 and a number of residents have come together to help the family out with some home repairs and other small acts of charity.

A team of volunteers came by to fix the bathroom floor of the home, filling the hole, fixing the floor, and putting down tiles, according to Shannon Wehkoja.

“The hole in the bathroom floor actually reached past the middle of the tub where I always sit to give my babies their bath,” she said in a message. “So if they didn’t come in, I could have literally ended up w/broken bones in our garage.”

Insolation and other items were donated by the Salem Home Depot after Dianne Paquette requested assistance and helped in organizing volunteers. She’s been keeping people posted about the donations on Facebook.

“She is an amazing person,” she said.

The insolation, installed right over the family’s year-old daughter’s bedroom, will assist in keeping the bedroom warm, Wehkoja noted.

Mike Petrilli, Paul, and other members of the crew installed the insolation, according to Paquette, with Paul, Joe and Derek Pelletier, Everett McBride and Rose Halloran all working on the bathroom, she noted.

“We have some great people in Salem,” Paquette said.

Palmer Oil also donated a full tank of oil to the family while Shaw’s Supermarkets donated a gift card for food. Deacon David of Mary Queen of Peace also donated and installed a new battery in the family’s van, Wehkoja said.

More help is still needed. Click on the CrowdRise.com link for information on how you can make a donation.