A volunteer cleanout began Sunday at the Wakefield, Rhode Island, home of 62-year-old widower David Garasole. He lives on Juniper Lane with his pet parrot, Roxy, in the house that belonged to his parents in 1974; the home had no heat, according to WJAR. Clutter had accumulated over time, and a local home-improvement business owner enlisted volunteers to help clear it.
Henry Milder, 22, owner of HM Home Improvement, organized the whole-house project and started work early Sunday, according to the WJAR report carried by 1011now.com. Garasole found Milder through an online search and asked him to clean out the house. Milder waived his usual fee, according to the WJAR report carried by K8 News. “It’s no way a man should live, so I wanted to help him out,” Milder said.
A Decade of Loss Led to the Clutter
Garasole said the deterioration traces back a decade, to when his wife, Tracy, died by suicide after battling depression. “She died by suicide 10 years ago after battling depression,” he said, per the same report from 1011now.com. In the years since, Garasole said his bills doubled and his painting work slowed down, and items simply piled up inside the home he had lived in since childhood.
“All my bills doubled and everything. I’ve been trying to keep the house afloat,” Garasole said. Per K8 News, he described the home’s condition as depressing and said he had reached a point where he had to get out. He became emotional while discussing the clutter and mess with Milder during their conversation at the house.
Strangers Answer the Call
Milder asked people in the community to help with the work. Employees, friends and other volunteers joined the cleanout, according to the station’s report. Garasole said he had not expected so many people to show up and that clearing items from the house was helping him feel some relief.
Milder spent about two hours talking with Garasole at the house. Garasole thanked him for the effort, and Milder offered to help him move into an apartment.
A GoFundMe Aims to Help Him Get Back on His Feet
A GoFundMe fundraiser was set up to help Garasole financially, and HM Home Improvement took on the cleanout without charge, according to WJAR. The company typically handles house and garage cleanouts and landscaping. The report did not give the fundraiser’s goal or amount raised, the number of volunteers, or the amount removed. It also did not confirm whether Garasole has moved into an apartment.
Heating and Weatherization Assistance
Rhode Island’s Weatherization Assistance Program offers whole-house energy-efficiency services to income-eligible households that qualify for LIHEAP. The Rhode Island Department of Human Services says services can include insulation and health and safety measures such as reducing drafts and providing proper ventilation, as well as installing smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, according to its Weatherization Assistance Program guidance. Tri-County Community Action Agency says income-eligible residents of South Kingstown may apply for its emergency boiler repair program, available at no cost to those who qualify. The Rhode Island Office of Veterans Services lists Tri-County’s South office in North Kingstown as serving South Kingstown and gives its phone number as 401 515-2432; the agency’s program information and the state’s office directory provide details.
The reporting describes a community-organized effort to help Garasole, but does not establish that the cleanout is complete or that he has moved. Anyone in the United States experiencing a mental health crisis can call or text 988, the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, according to WJAR.
