Deer Park Community Comes Together To Help Homeless Woman

DEER PARK, NY - A local homeless woman went from living in her car, to being "adopted" by the Deer Park community. After noticing the woman, named Carol, was down on her luck, three residents came together to try and help her have a better life.

Two weeks ago, Erin Aiello finally approached Carol after noticing her car parked in front of the church for over five days. She noticed Carol sitting in the car with broken windows along with her beloved cat, Sweety. Aiello asked her if she needed anything, but Carol politely refused.

However, Aiello said she "knew in her heart" that Carol needed help. She went to her husband and the two returned to Carol to give her a coat, gas for her car, food, water, cat food and some money.

But Aiello didn't want to stop there.

"I knew I just couldn't leave poor old woman in a car with a car with broken windows," she told Patch.

Aiello then took to Facebook to reach out to the community and made a post about Carol and her situation. Two other residents, Gina Lieneck and Chuck Sonnenberg, joined Aiello's efforts to help the elderly woman. Other Deer Park residents have been making contributions, but the trio really took charge in taking care of Carol. In addition, the Society Of St. Vincent de Paul has been providing assistance as well.

"Carol is a very warm, kind, compassionate woman who is really very grateful to the community she just fell on hard luck," Lieneck said.

Carol, a 65-year resident of Deer Park, has had a tough time over the past few years. Carol and her husband took out a mortgage which turned out it was a scam, resulting in then losing their house. Then about four years ago, she unfortunately lost her husband to cancer.

She is currently not working but is willing to find a job. She previously worked at Best Western for 15 years. She needs the extra money, since she is only receiving a few hundred dollars a month.

The three started a fundraiser on GoFundMe to help raise $5,000 to donate to Carol. They have already found a shelter for her to stay temporarily and found a foster home for Sweety. Their fundraiser has nearly reached its goal, raising $4,253 as of Monday.

Aiello, Lieneck and Sonnenberg are hoping to get her into a studio apartment and a new car.

"The whole community has basically adopted Carol as one of our own," Lieneck said. "I don't know of any better community than Deer Park because everybody rallies together."

The three have been visiting Carol regularly to take care of her. According to Aiello, she can't get over the good that is in the community.

"She never would have that that something like this would have happened to her," she said. "My goal is to just see Carol happy again because it feels like she lost all hope."

To read more or to donate, visit the GoFundMe page here.