pORTLAND MAINE STREET OUTREACH

On Monday Nov. 23, 2020 Rickyinc. delivered 5 filled backpacks (3 men's & 2 women's) to Norwood Police Chief William G. Brooks . Chief Brooks accepted Rickyinc's offer to provide the NPD with backpacks to give to homeless persons that officers encounter or seek out to provide assistance. 

This is currently a pilot program that if proves successful, will lead to Rickyinc. providing a backpack for every Norwood cruiser and we will refresh their supply as needed. 

Rickyinc. is delighted to be able to give back to it's home community which has supported us since our inception in March of 2020. 

Saturday Nov. 21, 2020 Nick and Chris, Ricky’s brothers joined Joanne Arnold in Portland Maine to distribute backpacks from Ricky Inc. to those in need, many of whom are homeless. Chris & Nick will also be delivering more backpacks and care packages in the next week or two in the Portland area.

Ricky Inc. would like to extend our sincerest thanks to Joanne Arnold for all she does for those in need. Joanne also thanked Nick and Chris by saying; 

“Thank you Nick, Chris and Ricky Inc. 

Ricky, your spirit is shared with a whole lot of love”

It’s been 18 months this month that we lost our beloved Ricky. It was a year this month that we made our first three backpack distributions to Andrews House detox, AHOPE and PAATHS. How we did it I don’t know, only six months after having the worst thing that could happen to us happen. It hasn’t gotten any easier and the silence of Ricky‘s voice is deafening. Nothing will ever look, or feel the same in our world. 

What we do know is that we can in love and kindness give back to those in need as Ricky would want us to and do it graciously and bravely and continue to go forward honoring Ricky. As we pack the backpacks in the coming weeks for the above programs we will now include a Veteran’s substance use disorder residential program and methadone clinic out of the Veterans hospital. 

We will include a program called “Youth on Fire” a program serving adolescents and young adults part of the LGBTQ community who are homeless and many of whom have substance use disorder. 

We will provide backpacks to two women’s recovery homes, one in which they reside with their children. Each child will receive a gift along with their mother’s backpack. 

We have started a pilot program with the Norwood Police Department providing 5 backpacks which would be distributed when an officer comes in contact with someone suffering from substance use disorder and or homelessness possibly entering treatment. If the Norwood Police find there is a need for this, we will increase the number of backpacks provided. 

We would like to thank our board members Cathy, Lisa, and Danny, also good friend Eoin and cousin Terry for graciously offering to help us with packing of the backpacks. But, because of COVID-19 we don’t feel comfortable putting anyone at risk of getting sick. It may take a little bit longer but Richie and I, Ricky‘s parents, will do the assembling. 

Ricky’s brothers Chris and Nick have recently distributed backpacks to the homeless in Portland Maine and we want to say we love them and know that Ricky is looking down on them very proudly. 

We will produce further posts as we make our deliveries in Boston and Chris & Nick continue our “Street Outreach Program” in Portland Maine. 

The first of many winter backpack deliveries is scheduled for Monday Nov. 30, 2020 at Youth On Fire and the Phoenix House for women and children.

Also scheduled for Friday Dec. 4, 2020 we will be delivering 28 men's backpacks to the Andrew House Detox Facility at the Shattuck Hospital in Boston.

Bernadette and Rich Giacoppo of Ricky Inc. visited the Comfort Station on Atkinson Street in Boston on Saturday October 10, 2020. We brought socks for men and women and various sizes of underwear for men and women along with masks to be distributed to those in need of one. Many of whom are facing homelessness, substance use disorder and mental health diagnosis. 

There is so much help that is needed. When and if they're ready to enter detox, these beds need to be available and the heartbreaking truth is there are not enough beds or homeless shelter beds to help those that need them. 

One young man asked for a pair of underwear as he was going to detox that day. If we can help one person accomplish something that may seem so small to another than to us, that is what we need to do. 

We witnessed several people pull up with their trunks filled with clothes, snacks, water and other items for those that were in need. For those kind, nonjudgmental people we are very grateful. Our son Ricky would tell us "Mum and Dad don't judge". In memory of our beloved son Ricky whom we lost 17 months ago, we will do all we can to honor his kind heart. We will return to the Comfort Station in two weeks with gloves and hats. 

Thank you to all those that are doing what they can to help improve this overwhelming and heartbreaking situation.

On Thursday Oct. 8, 2020 Rickyinc and the Disabled & Limbless Veterans teamed up to donate materials to be distributed to homeless veterans who come to the VA Hospital for services.  Items that were donated by Rickyinc were backpacks filled with personal needs items like toothpaste, toothbrush, deodorant, body wash, shaving materials, face mask, socks, hats gloves, tissues and a veterans resource booklet. The Disabled & Limbless Veterans donated numerous pairs of socks, blankets, diapers, 6" battery operated fan's, wipes and other personal care items. 

Veterans are sometimes overlooked as a population that is homeless or addicted to substances like alcohol or drugs. Many veterans suffer not only from homelessness but also from the disease of substance use disorder (SUD). It is our mission at Rickyinc to reach out to any person that is homeless and/or suffering from SUD and to try to make a difference in their lives. We do this in memory of Ricky who was an extremely compassionate man and very much appreciated the small things in life, like a new pair of socks or a winter hat.

Pictured from left to right are; Michael McNulty (CEO Disabled & Limbless Veterans), 

M. Michael Giacoppo (1st Vice President and Founding member Disabled & Limbless Veterans), Rich Giacoppo (President Rickyinc.) and Dominic Marcellino (President Disabled & Limbless Veterans).

Please visit the Disabled & Limbless Veterans web site to learn more about them and their activities at:  www.dlvets.org

On Friday Dec. 11, 2020 Ricky, Inc. delivered 40 backpacks filled with personal essentials and winter gear to the Access Drug User Health Program in Cambridge. We were met by Charlie Pillus (pictured on the far left), a Health Navigator for the program who graciously accepted the backpacks, brought them into the building per Covid-19 precautions and provided us with some information about their program which is operated as a branch of the Fenway Health system. Ricky had been associated with Fenway Health for several years during his struggles with substance use disorder and frequently was provided much needed assistance.

The Access program is a multifaceted harm reduction provider that performs many important services like overdose prevention training, overdose aftercare, Narcan distribution and many more great and much needed services. 

Access also has a Mobil Outreach Van that travels throughout the greater Boston area to cities like Cambridge, Boston, Somerville, Everett, Waltham and Malden. The van maintains a Monday-Friday schedule and offers most of the same services that their drop-in centers do, including syringe exchange and life saving Narcan.

Ricky, Inc. is delighted to collaborate and align itself with the Access Drug User Health Program and will plan another backpack distribution for the Spring 2021.

We would like to extend our thanks and appreciation to Cassidy Ockene, the Program Manager for allowing us to assist in their mission to provide help for persons in need and for providing us with the photo of the staff with the backpacks.