Food. Clothing. Shelter.
Those of us who have these simple requirements too often take them for granted, and the fact is, it’s hard not to. Nothing for dinner? Run to the supermarket, or call for delivery. Cold? Put on an extra sweatshirt, or crank the heat up and snuggle under a blanket. And when the winter winds blow, it’s easy to underestimate their strength from behind a thick living room window.
But too many of our neighbors lack some or all of these basic necessities, and as the mercury plummits, we must be aware of their plight. Tough economic times make it harder for charities and nonprofits to find funding to care for people seeking help. But as food banks and clothing distribution centers begin to ramp up their winter operations, even finding and maintaining affordable housing can be nearly impossible – and it’s made even harder when personal tragedy gets in the way.
That was the case for the LaLuz family of Poughquag, who saw their home fall into disrepair after struggling with medical bills in the wake of several serious illnesses in the family. Concerned about making it though the winter in a home with broken windows, open walls and thin doors, matriarch Shelly LaLuz said she didn’t think it was possible for anyone to get the home “to where it could be called normal.”
Enter Rebuilding Together Dutchess County, which has revitalized homes and communities throughout the area for more than 15 years, along with the Community Action Partnership, a home aid program. Upon learning of the LaLuz’s plight, the two agencies teamed up, and the result was a day of work that gave the family new hope and served as a reminder that providing the basic necessities is a task worth celebrating.
For more than 12 hours on Nov. 15, a team of 60 volunteers worked at the LaLuz home, installing insulation, sheetrock, windows and doors as well as a new furnace and hot water heater and fresh light fixtures and electrical wiring. With family finances stretched by son Connor’s lifelong battle with Hirschsprung’s disease, an intestinal problem, and husband Angel’s recent Type 1 diabetes diagnosis, they were unsure how they would keep the home intact, particularly as the weather grew cold.
Thanks to the work of Rebuilding Together and CAP (and others too numerous to mention), the LaLuz family, and dozens of others in the county, will get the help they need this winter. But plenty of other families may not, and with everyone feeling the strain of a declining economy, funding for those groups will be at a premium. But they need support, for the work they do and the spirit they embody. Providing the basic necessities is a noble mission, and one that deserves our applause and commitment, financial or otherwise. That job is a crucial one. Just ask Shelly LaLuz.