Photo taken by Brittany O’Loughlin.

By Brittany O’Loughlin
As winter approaches, elderly citizens at the Hopkinton Housing Authority’s subsidized housing will need help shoveling their cars out of the snow. The Board of Commissioners is asking citizens of Hopkinton to volunteer some of their time this winter to help shovel at the Housing Authority on Davis Road.

Unfortunately, there are no covers over the parking spots at the Housing Authority. Therefore, those who live there must dig out their cars during the winter months and move them so that those parking areas can be plowed. Many residents are in their seventies and eighties, and if they do not have family in town, must spend long periods of time out in the cold so they are able to get to their cars.

Volunteers are being asked to give their names and telephone numbers to residents so they have someone to call if they ever need help. Last year, “twelve elderly tenants requested help,” says Donna McGuire, the volunteer organizer. There is no final number of elders who would like help yet. Also, if people cannot commit to a specific individual, they are still asked to drive to the Housing Authority after snowstorms and help shovel for a while.

Helping the elderly shovel this winter would be a worthwhile way to get community service hours fulfilled and aid someone in need. Other ways to help the residents of the Housing Authority are to do some errands, do light housework, or deliver a prepared meal. Those interested can contact Donna McGuire at 508-435-5542 or [email protected].