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Community Corner

'There For Those Who Need Us'

Shelter volunteers reflect on the storm.

Though schools were closed and scores were left without power, Tropical Storm Irene’s effects only sent a dozen to Grafton’s emergency shelter in the town’s gymnasium last weekend.

But opening the shelter was anything but a waste of resources, according to volunteers.

“It was a good 'live drill' kind of a situation for us,” said Beth Mena, a nurse who lives in Grafton. “I think it was appropriate to open it because we didn’t know what was going to transpire and it also kind of made us realize some of the things that we could do better in preparation.”

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Mena was one of 15 volunteers on Sunday and it wasn’t the first time she’s volunteered her medical expertise. She gives her time at a St. Anne’s Church free medical clinic in Shrewsbury every week and also assisted at a shelter in Spencer during a devastating ice storm a few years ago.

“I’m a firm believer that volunteerism is part of what we should do as citizens,” she said.

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Helen Stone, a volunteer who had a fallen tree in her own backyard and no power until late Monday, said she was prepared to spend the night and more.

“We all packed up our sleeping bags because we planned on being there a couple days, fortunately we didn’t have to be,” said Stone, who turns 86 in December.

One of the messages Mena wants to get across to moms and dads is that shelters are not daycares.

“When people bring their kids to shelters they don’t always understand there could be a danger; you can’t just let your kid run around the whole area,” she said. “You don’t know who comes to the shelter.”

They may not be babysitters, but shelter volunteers are responsible for maintaining orderliness, making sure people have food and a cot if needed, and ensuring that medical needs are met.

Pastor Philip Goff, who acted as a chaplain at the shelter, said he noticed a sense of purpose and an eagerness to help people in the volunteers.

“It’s just nice to know that in times of emergency and in times of crisis that we’re there for those who might need us,” he said.

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