40 Volunteers from Handy Dandy Handyman Help Brookfield Library Set Up for Book Fair

BROOKFIELD, CT — Handy Dandy Handyman (HDHM) volunteers converged upon the Brookfield Public Library on Saturday to help set up their annual book sale which will take place on August 4 through August 8, 2016. Forty volunteers ranging in age from 8 to age 75 moved 5,000 books from the storage unit at the library to the Center Elementary School.

President Alice Carolan and activity Chair Georgette May greeted the crowd with a huge thank you.

Handy Dandy Handyman, a 501(c)3 charitable organization is best known for their massive annual "Rake & Bake" in which thousands of volunteers over the years have helped those in need in the community. Now they are asking for the community's help so they can continue their lifesaving work.

The brainchild of Brookfield philanthropist Peter Brady, the charity has helped countless residents in Brookfield and neighboring towns by donating and volunteering their services. Last December, HDHM helped a Danbury man living on oxygen and limited mobility who needed a new bed by providing him with a free, new mattress, box spring and all the trimmings.

In January, HDHM came to the rescue of one of its volunteers, Jeff Moxham, a Brookfield landscaper who became a paraplegic when an industrial garage door broke and came crashing down while Jeff was under it, leaving him with a severely injured spinal cord. The nonprofit made his home handicapped accessible with the help of donated supplies and free labor by 9 licensed contractors.

Most recently, HDHM installed a handicap ramp for a Danbury woman undergoing chemo so she could more easily get to her doctors appointments.

The charity could face extinction as funds are dwindling. Brady said he started HDHM after retiring early at age 58, "to give back to the Lord all the blessings bestowed on our family."

Now 75, he and his wife have spent the last 16 years helping over 1,000 less fortunate families in Fairfield County and surrounding communities with home repairs, home makeovers, yard clearing, finding and furnishing homes for the homeless, working with recovering addicts and so much more.

Over the last 16 years, HDHM has received 18 awards and was featured on the NBC Nightly News' "Making a Difference" segment. "The HDHM Ministry means the world to me and provides me with a "Feel Good Day" every time I leave the house en route to a client in need," Brady said.

"Last fall we heard from a man with terminal cancer having a max of 5 years to live. He was going to lose his home if the leak in his roof was not repaired. HDHM went in, replaced the roof, replaced the gutters, painted the exterior, replaced the kitchen ceiling, downsized the extra debris in his basement, cut his lawn, cleaned all his leaves in his yard, took down a large tree over the house and he is loving life doing well."

Brady said if they do not raise enough funds to keep going, they will be shutting down operations on Sept 1, 2016.

Click here to donate.

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16th Annual Rake and Bake is Saturday, Nov. 14