GREENFIELD — A caravan of motorhomes is arriving at the Franklin County Fairgrounds this week to house health care and hospital workers who are working to combat the COVID-19 virus, which will help prevent their homes and families from possibly being contaminated.
As of Tuesday, there were already four trailers, motorhomes, campers or RVs committed to the “Franklin County RV Haven for Health Care Warriors.” The group will match front-line health care workers in the Franklin County region with RVs to stay in during the COVID-19 crisis.
Organizers are seeking more motorhomes and campers to be donated for temporary housing. Anyone interested in lending an RV, staying in an RV or volunteering to support the effort through other donations can email FranklinCountyRVHaven@gmail.com.
Lead organizer Marsha Miller said the housing at the fairgrounds will help the city and county be prepared in the event the local situation escalates. Furthermore, it adds peace of mind for those concerned about bringing the virus back into their homes and infecting their families. Miller stressed that the site will not allow visitors, as it would defeat the purpose of a quarantined area for those who are exposed to the COVID-19 virus.
“We don’t want visitors up there — as tempting as it may be to stop by and say ‘thank you,’” Miller said.
Organizers drew up contracts, which outline the need for all campers and motorhomes to be insured, and which highlight details of the temporary site usage. Miller said the site will be potentially available to hospital sanitation staff, nursing home employees and veterinary staff, “not just MDs and RNs.”
Miller, who works at Brookside Animal Hospital, said she saw the Facebook group “RVs 4 MDs to fight the coronavirus,” and was inspired to start a local effort. She reached out to Melissa Osborne and Rosemarie Freeland, and the plan came together in less than a week. After seeking help getting propane for the units, Dead River Co. volunteered to fill the propane tanks for free. Manny’s Appliances donated a washer and dryer for use.
Leyden Police Chief Dan Galvis, who helped Miller settle on a place large enough to house the motorhomes, and volunteer Doug Beck helped install the donated appliances in the Leyden Church Food Booth at the fairgrounds. A handful of generators were moved there last weekend and, thanks to the fairgrounds’ setup, Galvis said there are plenty of electrical hook-ups. His wife, Gilda, helped clean the booth and get the stove and refrigerator up and running.
Additionally, volunteers have already signed up to cook meals for the health care workers and donations are being collected to purchase groceries.
“It’s amazing — I can’t say enough about this community,” Miller said. “You ask and people are there.”
Zack DeLuca can be reached at zdeluca@recorder.com or 413-930-4579.