RICKY,Inc

On August 12, 2025 we visited the Veterans Affairs administration in Jamaica Plain and made a backpack and materials donation for our valued military veterans.

We later received this incredible thank you and testimonial from Matthew Edwards, the Chief of the Center for Development and Civic Engagement.

This is a beautiful thank you note from the Veterans Affairs in Jamaica Plain for our recent donations. We are very grateful to support these three programs housed in Veterans Administration located in the JP location. We hope the 600 socks are distributed to all that need them. Thank you to all our Veterans for their service.

We can never say thank you enough to our incredible and heroic US veterans for their service to our country.

Saying "weathering the storm is easy"

"Actually, doing it takes courage"

Be strong, be courageous, put your head down and take whatever comes your way........ Then succeed!

We received this thank you note from the clients at the Andrew House after our visit.

Their heartfelt comments mean the world to us and we will keep them close to our hearts as we too navigate this difficult world that we have now found ourselves immersed in forever.

"Thank YOU for your kindness and we commit to continue our efforts to support you as long as we are able".

Nicholas' loving family gathers on Saturday July 26, 2025 at his memorial bench on the Western Prom in Portland Maine to celebrate and remember him for the incredible, loving and kind person that he was.

Dad, Mom, Chris and Roxy

"Nothing but love here"

Many friends attended this day of remembrance for their friend Nick.

Pictured with Rich is Justin Reid who has been a longtime friend and supporter of Nicholas and is currently the Director of the Portland Recovery Community Center.

Justin drove over an hour from Northern Maine on his day off, just to be there for his friend.

Lots of Nick's closest friends from Massachusetts attended this memorial event including, Matthew Sherman, Michael McNamme, Dan Anderson and pictured above with their family is Willie & Maura Wall.

The Wall family was well represented as Cathy Wall & sister Val Lynch also made the trek from Mass to Maine for this special event.

It was truly a family affair as Aunt's Cathy & Margaret Giacoppo were present with Uncle's Michael & Steven.

They showed their love and affection for Nicholas and have fond memories of his incredible loving presence.

On Friday July 25th, Nicholas' dad and brother Chris took some time to sit on his Memorial Bench to reflect on his life and the kind, wonderful person that he always has been.

He is missed far more than he will ever know.

Giacoppo family patriarch, Matthew Michael Giacoppo (PA), sits on Nicholas' memorial bench and remembers the many times when he and Nick would cook together and how Nick showed so much promise as a versatile chef.

PA is usually a very talkative person but, on this day, he spent his time mostly in quiet reflection and thoughts of his loving grandson.

PA has many fond memories and prays for Nick every day. He always says how much his misses both Ricky & Nick.

Cousins Teri Stirk and Sharon Proia made the journey from Massachusetts on this day and brought longtime friend Betty-Lou.

All three women sacrificed their Saturday and committed to being there for Nick and their cousin Bernadette.

Also in attendance was Michael Fitzgibbon who still made the trip even though he was experiencing some family medical situations. He thought enough of Nick and us to travel by himself to be there for us. Thank you!

They all have been generous donors to Ricky, Inc. and are always there when Bernadette or I need them.

Although family pet Roxy has successfully photo-bombed nearly every photo, Nicholas' family proudly admires the view of the ocean from his wonderful bench location.

Margaret, Christopher, Steven, Cathy and Nichole Giacoppo

Christopher sits in silence as he remembers his brothers and reflects on their lives together.

Everyone's heart has been broken beyond repair and Christopher's love for Ricky and Nicholas will always be with him.

We pray that his 7-week old daughter Ruby will help to mend his badly broken heart.

On Sunday August 17, 2025 Rich Giacoppo and Ricky, Inc. hosted a resource table at the Gilly's House Summerfest 2025 where they distributed 20 doses of life-saving Narcan, as well as numerous other resource materials.

Bernadette Giacoppo and Chloe Jones (Christopher Giacoppo's fiancé) man the resource table with a precious newcomer, Ruby Giacoppo (7-weeks old).

 We attended "Gilly's House, Inc. Summer Fest" on Sunday. Gilly's House hosted many organizations supporting overdose prevention and awareness. 

We distributed 20 doses of Narcan and distributed prevention booklets for families and adolescents. Many families attended to all free activities for children and food. 

Chris Giacoppo and his son Charlie have fun in the bubble pit as Papa Giacoppo looks on.

Gilly's Summerfest had many fun activities for kids and the "bubble pit" was tops among the kids' favorites. 

Thank you to Barbara Gillmeister and Maureen Cappuccino for inviting us. Our son Christopher and his family enjoyed the day 

Charlie can't get enough of the bubble machine and loves every minute of it.

With all of the wonderful activities for the kids, the bubble pit was by far the "hit of the day" for the children.

On Monday August 18, 2025 I visited BHN (Behavioral Health Network, Inc.) Family Center and met with Ilene Carrera, Assistant Program Director, Hyde Park, and her staff. Currently there are six mothers and eight children. They are able to accept up to 12 mothers. My wife purchased tote bags filling them with what typically goes in a backpack. She got the age of each child and purchased an educational toy for each child. We have been visiting BHN for at least five years now. They have moved from their Dorchester location and are now in Hyde Park. I didn't meet with the families due to HIPPA. In the future with more time before visiting we will most likely get to visit with them. We would like to thank Illene for all her help in coordinating this visit with my wife, Bernadette. 

We also donated 75 pairs of children's socks. BHN Dorchester Family Center is a residential substance use treatment program for pregnant and parenting women with children in their care up to age 18. The program provides women-centered, trauma-informed care and evidence-based substance use treatment services, with the goal of successful family reunification and long-term family stabilization. This is a closed referral program and all referrals go through IHR.

ELIGIBILITY

This is a closed referral program, managed by Institute for Health & Recovery (IHR).

Female, Nonbinary, 18+

HOURS

24/7

PHONE

617-275-8862

All of the BHN women and their children received packages from Ricky, Inc. 

The 6 women received personalized gift bags designed by Bernadette Giacoppo and the 8 children also received personalized age-appropriate gifts also donated by Bernadette.

  On Tuesday August 12, 2025 I visited the Veteran's Affairs Administration in Jamaica Plain. I met with Damien Powell, Voluntary Services Specialist and volunteer Peter Schaffer, who assisted me in unloading all of our donation materials from the Ricky, Inc. van.

As part of our Summer 2025 Backpack & Supplies Donation Program, we donated 64 Backpacks to go to the Substance Abuse Residential Unit, the Women's Trust House, and the in-house Methadone Clinic. 

Each backpack contained a fully packed hygiene kit, 2-pairs of socks, rain poncho, sunglasses, sunscreen, water bottle, cleansing wipes, 2-doses of Narcan, and much more. 

The US Department of Veteran Affairs is located at 150 South Huntington Ave in Jamaica Plain, MA.

It is easily accessible and offers many services to our deserving men and women who have served their country.

“We as a family thank our Veterans for their service to our country with the upmost respect”

   Pictured (L-R) are Peter Schaffer and Damien Powell accepting the Ricky, Inc. backpack donation.

We also donated 80 pairs of men's underwear, 50 women' underwear, 36 tee shirts, 77 flip Flops, and 600 pairs of Bombas socks to be distributed to all of their programs. 

Best of luck to Damien in his new role in charge of Volunteer Services for the branch and to Peter who was starting his first day of work with Volunteer Services.

 On Friday July 25, 2025 we delivered backpacks and numerous supplies to the Portland Recovery Community Center.

We do this in honor of Nicholas and his strong relationship to Portland. Nicholas brought Ricky Inc. to Portland and did a lot of street outreach giving out backpacks to those living unhoused. He was devoted to the Ricky Inc. mission and also worked with the Milestones Recovery Street outreach team too. 

We have the utmost respect for P.R.C.C. and all of the work and programs you offer the community. Nicholas took advantage of some of your programs and participated in your holiday art show. 

"Thank you, especially our  good friend Justin Reid, Director of the PRCC, for all of your support and kindness". 

Bernadette, Rich, and Chris Giacoppo

Located at the entrance of the PRCC are dozens of memorial bricks inscribed with the names of lost loved ones.

Nicholas was a lot of things and mostly he was a very kind and caring man. He will always be loved, adored and will never stop being our beautiful boy.

Thank you PRCC for sharing our beautiful boys with your community. There are no words to describe the depths of our grief. 

"Thank you for letting us into your community". 

https://portlandrecovery.org/ 

Christopher Giacoppo kneels down at the memorial brick for his brother. Chris and Nick became best friends and used to lean on each other during their time in Portland Maine.

Many times the two would go fishing in Scarborough or in the Presumpscot River or just hang out together and talk over coffee. Both men are "Family-First" men.

On Tuesday July 22, 2025 we made our way to ACCESS in Cambridge. Doug Jasset was kind enough to again accompany me for the second day in a row. Out in front of the building on Green Street, just outside of Central Square, we met with who has become a true friend to us, Brian Sink, Director of ACCESS. 

We have many times explained in detail what it is ACCESS does. Please visit ACCESS' website or on Facebook. They are not only a harm reduction program but have an impressive health clinic, and outreach team in the community that includes visits to someone that has recently overdosed offering services to them in person. 

We donated backpacks filled with summer items to brave the unrelenting heat, hygiene products, socks, and much more. 

We provided a carton of Men's and women's underwear, tee shirts, and carton of Bombas ankle socks. 

Each backpack contained 2-doses of Narcan and Fentanyl testing strips.  

Pictured (L-R) Brian Sink, Vandya Goel, Jessica Alpert, Doug Jasset, Ben Adams and Me (RG).

https://fenwayhealth.org/aac/programs-services/access/ 

  The memorial table that the team at ACCESS has created in remembrance to those people, who are friends, sons, daughters, family members, and participants to programs like ACCESS that mean so much to the staff that have been lost to this insidious disease. 

Over time we have left some remembrances of Ricky and now our precious Nicholas. Sometimes a participant may take them and that warms our hearts that someone wanted a little piece of our beloved sons, and we will always continue to replace with a remembrance of them. 

Thank you to Brian Sink and his wonderful team for the work they do. Brian always offers a new visitor to ACCESS a tour of what they do, and Doug was lucky enough to participate in a tour. 

“Thank you to Brian for always being there for us and lifting us up when we need it most”.

On Tuesday July 22, 2025, I and my good friend Doug Jasset visited "Youth on Fire" in Harvard Square Cambridge. It is a very special program in which there are not many like it that we know of. They are a safe place for young people many of whom are unhoused.  

YOF offers participants to have a safe place to get medical assistance, be assigned a case manager to really help with any needs they may have. The program offers this and so much more.

“Thank you to Youth on Fire for all you do and allowing us to continue our valued relationship with you”.

 On the afternoon of Monday July 21, 2025, I visited Andrew House Detox Program. We met with the gentlemen and had some meaningful conversations. My good friend Doug Jasset accompanied me too and he to spoke with the men from the heart. Doug has been such a support to me while making these donations to programs with whom we have partnered with since losing our beloved Ricky. 

Pictured with me is Doug Jasset and Patty Sylvester. Patty a dedicated lead counselor and is a longtime friend. She worked with my wife as social worker at a crisis team for children and adolescents in another lifetime it seems. Patty is always checking on us particularly my wife, who before losing my son Nicholas accompanied me on all donations and street outreach programs. 

Thank you, Patty, for all you do for the men at Andrew House you have a big heart, and we appreciate you.  

"Patty is a hard working,  dedicated counselor that has a positive effect on everyone that she helps"

As always, we brought art supplies and books for the "Ricky Memorial Reading Room" dedicated by Maritza Castillo, the former director, who knew Ricky very well. Kayla Cardoza a former team member also had a big part in dedicating the reading room in Ricky's memory because of his love of reading and kindness.

We brought backpacks for the men present and some for when new participants come in. We also brought some women backpacks as Andrew House does accept women but in a smaller capacity. We provided tee shirts, underwear and many essential items in the backpacks. 

 Thank you and sincere appreciation to the Director, Rebecca Goldman for allowing us to continue to provide the men with these backpacks and for maintaining the Memorial Reading Room. 

We continue to provide and update this room with more books, games, puzzles and art supplies so the men will have a comfortable, quiet place to relax during their early phases of recovery.

This is where Ricky used to go everyday during his stays at Andrew House. Back then there was not a comfortable couch and a coffee table with art supplies. 

We added those in honor of Ricky and hope that everyone that uses this room gets to appreciate and use it.

  Three years ago, dedicated volunteer members of Team Ricky assembled 130 backpacks in one day for distribution for our programs. This was the most backpacks that we ever filled in one day; until Sunday that is.

We want to thank our hardworking volunteers who packed over 310 backpacks this past Sunday July 13, 2025. 

Thank you Chris Giacoppo, Doug Jasset and Bill Beatty. These guys could have been on the beach on this beautiful Sunday but they were here helping Ricky, Inc. help those struggling with substance use disorder, living unhoused, and mental health issues. 

"Our hearts are broken for what we have lost, it’s unimaginable. Please keep us in your prayers". 

The team spent the better part of four hours in an assembly line packing these backpacks at a pace that was difficult to match. I attempted to keep the products on the line well stocked but the men were determined to completely shatter our previous record and I was hustling just trying to keep up with them. 

They will forever have Ricky, Inc's. heartfelt appreciation for withstanding a hot and humid garage and their nonstop efforts to "just keep going".

Team Ricky is posing in front of some of the 125 women's backpacks that were assembled on Sunday.

The team also assembled 185 men's backpacks.

Pictured (L-R)

Bill Beatty

Christopher Giacoppo

Rich Giacoppo

Doug Jasset

These backpacks contain numerous hygiene products, 2-pairs of Bombas socks, undergarments, sunglasses, sunscreen and much more for the Summer months. 

Each bag also contains lifesaving Narcan, fentanyl testing strips and an instructional pamphlet on what to do for someone that has overdosed. 

Storing 310 backpacks in your home is not an easy thing to do. The Giacoppo household is very crowed right now and a walkway was needed to get around.

All of these backpacks will go to halfway houses, homeless shelters, Veterans programs, our Street Outreach Program, mothers and children programs and DPH funded harm reduction programs that serve many clients whom are living unhoused and in crisis.

On Monday June 23, 2025 I was invited to attend the Middlesex County Deputy Sheriffs Association's annual golf tournament at the Four Oaks Country Club in Dracut, MA. 

While attending the event, I was presented with a generous donation from Tony Iovanna and Richie Redican. Tony, Richie, Paul and their entire staff have been there for us in the past and have continued to support our cause.

This donation comes at a great time because we were just notified that the federal and state government cuts impacted Ricky, Inc causing us to lose our funding.

"Thank you from the bottom of our hearts go out to the Middlesex County Deputy Sheriffs Association for their outstanding dedication and support".

    We want to thank Norwood Health Dept. for their generous donation to Ricky, Inc. in preparing for the Summer 2025 Backpack Distribution Program. 

We especially want to thank Stacey Lane and her staff for their kindness and hard work in getting these important items provided to us. 

Throughout the process, they were kind and encouraging, and that means so much to us to have people that are dedicated to helping us in our mission. 

Every day living without our two sons is unimaginable. It is unbearable. But, when we have the support of the community, we can’t tell you how much it means to us and is appreciated by the Ricky, Inc. community, and the recipients of these backpacks. 

“Again, thank you to Norwood Health Dept., Stacey Lane and all that work in her department”. 

Sincerely Rich, Chris and Bernadette Giacoppo.

We want to remind the community that all donations both items and monetary go directly to the recipients of all services of Ricky, Inc. 

No-one in Ricky, Inc. receives any payment or compensation in any position, at any time. 

We use our personal garage to avoid spending any funds to store our inventory.

Some of these pictures makes the garage look like a big mess, but that big mess will turn into beautiful backpacks, packed with respect and they will be neatly packed with important items for the recipients during the summer months. 

Nicholas made me a drawing depicting a profile of a man's face and his expression seemed to be in distress. However, in his head it showed a calmness. It was his way of saying that no matter what the dilemma is, ride out the storm and there is always a path to make it better. 

The title of his drawing was,

"There is always calmness in the mist of chaos"

A focal point of our backpacks is "the hygiene kit". It contains many items including shave cream, razors, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, soap, toothpaste, toothbrush, feminine hygiene products, condoms, band aids, bacitracin ointment and sun screen. 

After receiving our shipment from Stacey Lane and the Norwood Health Dept. there was barely any room to walk around inside of the garage.