Hours
I want to thank all of our wonderful donors who have been getting in touch, wondering when we will be open for donation drop offs. The honest answer is we do not know. Without getting into too much detail, there are an awful lot of hands that touch donations once they get dropped off – to assess their condition and possibly wash them, to shelve them in our storage area, to put them out on the showroom floor, and then to select for a client and to wrap or package, depending on what the item is. At this time, we are just not ready to take on the risk to our volunteers or clients. We have limited space but are happy to say we will have warehouse space beginning in September. As of now, we have a staff of 2 gathering items and putting them outside for a contactless handoff to our emergency clients. Throughout this crisis, we have been working with several other non profits in Lawrence to make sure the community’s needs are being met as best we can.
In the coming weeks, we will be not only attending to the needs of those in emergency situations, but we will be resuming meeting the needs of the clients who have been waiting since March for our services. We feel we have no choice but to use up the inventory we have and then we will be using the COVID-19 funds we have raised to purchase essentials, like mattresses, bedding, pots and pans, dishes and glasses – the household goods needed to have a functioning home. Our dreams of giving all the little extras and seeing the smiling faces of our clients will have to be put on hold for now.
I am being asked “what can I do to help?” Here is another honest answer. Our clients are a very vulnerable population to begin with, but now more than ever. The very best thing you can do to help them is to social distance and wear a face mask when you cannot safely do so. Their biggest need is to not catch COVID-19. Our greatest need is for monetary donations to help us purchase the items I mentioned, or if you prefer, to purchase these items and have them shipped directly to our PO Box 1236, Andover, MA 01810.
This isn’t an update I was looking forward to writing. Please know that we are reassessing every week and will continue to do what is best for the health and safety of our staff, volunteers, clients, and donors. We are so grateful for your support and wish you all health and well-being.
For your planning purposes, we will reopen for donations in stages. During the first stage, we will be taking only the following items:
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Social Workers – We are scheduling contactless appointments. If you have already submitted a request, we will be in touch as soon as possible.
Location:
123 Tewksbury Street, Andover, MA 01810
(978) 409-1930
Directions:
GPS is not accurate in finding us. Please use the interactive map below and write down directions before you visit.
When you enter the property through the wire fence, make a left and you will see a sign for the A & M Roofing Office. Take a right, keeping the blue building on your left. You will see our front door on your left. Take a left and our garage door is clearly marked about 20 feet up. Simply ring the doorbell next to our garage door and volunteers will come out to accept your donation.
We kindly remind you to make donation drop-offs only during our hours of operation. Because we are tenants, it is important that nothing is left and considered a nuisance to our landlord. Thanks for your cooperation.
Still have questions? You can email us at info@phama.org.