Wilmington's Dovetail Companies Helping In Earthquake Relief Effort

WILMINGTON, MA — Dovetail Companies, located in Wilmington, guides senior citizens through the often challenging and emotional process of selling their long-time home.

On the company website, Dovetail Founder and President Erin DiCarlo said that she and Vice President and Director of Operations Lauren Watts share the same vision: "to help the aging community thrive in the next chapter of their lives."

With helping others baked into the Dovetail business model, perhaps it's not surprising that the company is doing its part to help survivors of last month's devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck southern Turkey and northern Syria.

On Wednesday, Reuters reported that the death toll from the Feb. 6 quake had reached 51,000, with 108,000 injured in Turkey alone and millions more left homeless.

Diane Garrity, who works in professional relations for Dovetail, has been the company's point person on its Turkey/Syria earthquake relief efforts.

Garrity said she was looking for a way to help the victims in Turkey and Syria when she heard an interview on WCVB with Cenk Emre, who owns Freerange Market, an independent Turkish grocery store in Medford.

Emre, who is Turkish, has turned his store into a donation collection hub for earthquake victims. At the store, volunteers pack up boxes of needed items — at first food and clothes, and later diapers, wipes, sleeping bags and tents — which get shipped overseas.

The Turkish Consulate in Boston and Turkish Airlines have been collaborating with Emre on the effort, which also includes raising money for victims of the quake.

Garrity said she contacted Emre and announced that Dovetail would join Freerange Market in its relief efforts.

"I was inspired by (Emre), and Dovetail wanted to do what we could to help him," Garrity told Patch. "He's kind of a one-man show, talking to people in Turkey, working with the consulate."

Though donations have been pouring in for Turkey and Syria, Garrity said that what commonly happens after disasters is that charitable efforts slow down when the story is no longer on the front pages.

So, Garrity and Dovetail have looked to do their part.

One of Garrity's first contributions was to reach out to local companies that she hoped could provide materials used in the shipping of items overseas. Gentle Giant, which is headquartered in Winchester, donated 200 moving boxes. Ruma's Pallet World, in Chelsea, donated 50 pallets.

Garrity also has made multiple trips to Medford to help pack boxes, bringing senior citizen volunteers and Dovetail colleagues to take part in the effort.

Additionally, Garrity said she is trying to spread the word about the relief effort being led by Freerange Market and the Turkish Consulate, which includes an Amazon Earthquake Emergency Aid Shopping List. Those interested in helping can select items from the list and have them sent right to the collection spot in Medford.

"We're trying to get what we can, it's all word of mouth," Garrity said. "I find that everybody wants to help, they just don't know what to do. But I look at (this volunteer work) as an opportunity to be a blessing to others, as they say. That's what we're trying to do here."

Meanwhile, back at Dovetail, Garrity said the company's leadership team has discussed holding a fundraiser and putting out collection boxes to aid earthquake victims.

"At Dovetail, we mostly help seniors, like with fundraisers for Alzheimer's. But Erin DiCarlo (the founder and president) is a very supportive person, and when this (relief effort) came up, she wanted us to help out any way that we could."