Generous In-Kind Donations in Harrington
Date: 8/4/2009
Harrington - Columbia Falls business owners Darryl and Marcia Worcester became angels for the local Head Start program when they spent a recent afternoon digging up the yard at Child and Family Opportunities' (CFO) Harrington Early Care and Education Center looking for a septic tank. The trouble started early in April, when Head Start teachers noticed a sizeable sinkhole in the center's playground, exposing a septic tank. The area was roped off until a contractor arrived to investigate the problem.
The first report was that the septic tank lid had caved in; yet the septic system continued to work. As the Head Start year wound down in the middle of May, CFO began to contact area contractors to get bids for resolving the problem.
Darryl R. Worcester of D + M Trucking was the first to respond. Darryl and his wife, Marcia were familiar with the Head Start services offered in Harrington; their niece had attended the program, along with a child of one of their employees. They were so impressed by the services provided to the children that they, along with one of their employees decided to "pay it forward", donating the labor to replace the tank. This community spirit seemed to be "catching" when Rob Worcester of County Concrete heard about the donation and made his own offer to donate a tank to replace the septic tank.
On Tuesday 8/4/09 Darryl and Marcia came to the center with their excavator to remove the old tank. As it happened, when they began to take up the tank, they surmised that it was a tank that had been abandoned years ago and replaced by a newer tank somewhere else on the property. Before filling in the hole however, they wanted to make sure their conclusion was correct so they set out to locate the "in use" tank.
That was easier said than done as there were no records of the new tank's location. At the town office (they actually went to look it up!) there was an application on file for a tank replacement in 1991. Meanwhile at CFO's Central Office in Ellsworth, a hand-drawn map was found, dated 1991 showing what seemed to be the location of a new tank.
The team set to work , and after hours of digging, were able to locate the current septic tank. While it was being uncovered, a friend was called in to pump the tank at a great savings to CFO. All the holes, including the old septic tank hole, were filled in with sand donated from County Concrete, and Darryl and Marcia disposed of the old tank.
"This is truly a gift to CFO and a testament to the Daryl, Marcia, and Rob Worcester's great community spirit. Our Harrington staff, along with our Board of Directors join me in thanking the Worcesters and all involved in helping out," Jeanie Mills, CFO Executive Director, said.
