A simple 144-square-foot storage shed is making life better
for many residents of Madison County.
The effort began with the St. Veronica Knights of Columbus
Council in Chantilly. In 2014, Knight Paul Chadowski was
collecting clothes for distribution by the Church of the
Assumption in Keyser, W.Va. Twice a year, spring and fall,
the council would load a large box truck with clothes and
drive to West Virginia. The fall trip would include unwrapped
children’s gifts for Christmas.
The pastor was reassigned, and the new pastor said they had
such a backlog of clothes that they didn’t need more
donations.
Chadowski went to Father Edward C. Hathaway, then-pastor of
St. Veronica Church in Chantilly, to see if he had any ideas
of where they could offer help.
Father Hathaway suggested the Madison Emergency Service
Association (MESA).
“He wanted an organization that adhered to our Catholic
doctrine,” said Chadowski.
MESA provides emergency food, clothing, shelter and financial
aid to Madison County residents experiencing a temporary
crisis.
Chadowski contacted Earl Lord, a Knight from the St. Isidore
the Farmer Council No. 13860 in Orange, and a partnership
began. Lord lives in Madison, so he knows the need in the
county.
The councils collected clothes, but soon discovered that
there was more of a need for personal care products like
toilet paper, deodorant, diapers, toothpaste and feminine
hygiene products.
Jennifer McLeod, MESA executive director, said that personal
care products are often not high on the shopping list of
their clients.
“You can’t purchase them with food stamps,” she said.
Chadowski said that at times some high school girls would
stay home from school during their menstrual cycle because
they couldn’t afford sanitary napkins. Providing this simple
personal care product raised the self-esteem of young women
helped by MESA, said Chadowski. It also cut down on girls
missing class.
The councils shifted their efforts away from clothes.
Chadowski placed an insert in the St. Veronica bulletin for
new personal care products. The first time this call went
out, they collected 1,400 pounds of products. Their success
began to strain MESA’s capability to store products for
distribution.
The solution was a shed that would be a temporary storage
place, where products could stay for a few days before being
distributed.
Lord and Chadowski went to their respective councils and,
with some individual contributions, raised enough to cover
the $2,600 cost.
At first, Chadowski wanted the Knights to build a shed from
scratch, but after talking with Lord, the two agreed that it
would be quick, and still cost-effective to order a pre-built
shed and place it on MESA property.
They bought the shed from MWP Supplies in Madison, who
donated the blocks and setup.
Lord worked with McLeod to find the best location for the
shed.
McLeod said there’s been a lot of activity since the shed
opened several weeks ago.
“I don’t think the blocks had settled before the shed was
being used,” she said.
There’s still some work to be done. Lord thinks that shelves
in the shed would be helpful.
MESA and the Knights are planning a celebration in the fall
for the local community to see a how a simple shed can
transform the lives of their poorest residents.
