FOR the past three years, Ronnie Goodberry has shared his living room with boxes of crisps, bags of nappies and even a king-sized hospital bed.
His modest two-bedroom house which he shares with wife, Jackie, has also been home to pet food, baby clothes and, at Christmas, seven well-cooked turkeys with all the trimmings.
But one particular item – a large bottle of coconut and lychee shampoo – has pride of place on the couple’s very crowded mantelpiece.
The shampoo is the one millionth item donated to the Woodley Volunteers For Our Community Facebook group which Ronnie set up three years ago.
“It all started during the panic buying in the early days of covid when basic items like bread and toilet paper were disappearing from supermarket shelves as quickly as they were put out,” explained Ronnie.
“Some of us in Woodley decided to set up a group which invited people to donate basic supplies which could be distributed around the town. The aim was to help anyone who was in need. The response from local people was incredible with all sorts of items being handed in such as toiletries, food and clothes.
“We also reached out to emergency staff like nurses, health care workers, police officers and firefighters who were working round the clock to keep us all safe but who didn’t have time to shop and when they did, the shelves were bare.”
The immediate problem was finding a location where items could be dropped off and stored until needed, and that’s where Ronnie and Jackie stepped in. Working on a shoestring budget meant the group’s volunteers could not afford a warehouse so the couple turned their modest home into a storeroom.
“We’d put out an appeal on our Facebook page and whatever the need and whoever needed it, local people would turn up with the requested items,” he explained.
“Our living room was soon bursting with everything from tins of soup to medical supplies. The people of Woodley have hearts of gold. It is very humbling to witness such amazing generosity.”
As the group received more publicity, donations poured in from people in Hampshire, Surrey and other parts of the country as well as America. Someone there saw the Facebook page and mailed a box full of hats and scarves.
Ronnie explained how in the middle of lockdown, the group received a plea to help a man struggling to live in his own house.
“He needed a hospital bed to enable them to go about his daily life but as the man tested positive, the local authority would not get involved,” he added.
“So, another member and myself donned hazmat suits, masks and gloves and delivered and set up the bed. The man was extremely thankful.”
As the pandemic subsided, Ronnie and fellow volunteers thought their work would be wound up – but then came the cost-of-living crisis and the war in Ukraine. Requests for help came flooding in from increasing numbers of people in Woodley who were unable to afford to eat and heat their homes.
And as the plight of refugees became more severe, Ronnie along with other volunteers made the first of seven trips to date to Poland and Ukraine delivering aid, food, toys, clothes and other items.
“The situation in Ukraine is absolutely appalling. People live in constant fear of bombs and missile strikes. At the same time, they need to search for food and basic things like toiletries and even clothes.
“Countless numbers of people have been displaced, living in temporary accommodation, often apart from their loved ones. They have lost parents, children, and friends to the war. When we deliver aid, the people are enormously grateful.”
Back in January, the group had distributed 500,000 items and Ronnie was determined to hit the million mark. That happened this month as boxes of items continued to arrive in response to requests on the Facebook page.
“I was going through some boxes and counting when suddenly I picked up the shampoo and knew we’d reached the million target. It was a special moment. I joked we’d put it in a glass box because it really is special to think of all the items the people of Woodley have so generously donated over the years to help others, both here and in Ukraine.”
The group will continue to respond to requests for help it receives and these will be posted on the Facebook page.
