Blogger Starts Fund For Malden Fire Victim

Article, text, and info written by Patrick Maguire and originally published in full on Servernotservant.com:

Gaia Stecher was , and needs to find a new one. The fire and water damage claimed most of her belongings. As anyone hunting for an apartment knows, most landlords require first month, last, and a security deposit, in addition to the fees charged by brokers.

In honor of my dear friend, Maryanne Hooley, I will be setting up a charity called Hooley’s Helpers. A portion of the proceeds from my book will fund the charity to benefit restaurant servers in times of illness, crisis and family emergencies. There’s no need to wait until the book is published to start helping people. Let’s demonstrate the power of community and do something right now.

My goal is to raise $1,000 to help Gaia get back on her feet. There are a lot of admirable corporate non-profits that we have all contributed to, but here is an opportunity to do something very tangible and very real to help one individual in need. One hundred individuals or groups donating $10 will get us to the goal of $1,000.

If you can afford to contribute, please send $10 (or anything you can) to Gaia Stecher at 740 Salem St. Unit 2 Malden Ma 02148. The Post Office is holding Gaia’s mail until she finds a new apartment.

Restaurant (and service) industry brothers and sisters: Please share this story/link with all of your co-workers, and please ask if everyone can throw in a buck from one shift and send a contribution to Gaia. I’ve got to believe that collectively we can make a positive impact and help Gaia get through this. If you choose to participate, please leave the name and location of your restaurant (or shop) in the comments section below.