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Photo courtesy: The Bulletin (Ryan Blessing)
Some time outdoors in a tent this weekend may seem like insanity, but it’s actually an act of charity by four local men.
Fred Brown, Rob Suchecki, Stan Soby and Walter Cox will spend Feb. 7-9 in the cold to raise money for the Colchester Fuel Bank in an event called Freezin’ for a Reason.
The men will gather at 3 p.m. Friday on the Colchester green and won’t leave until noon Sunday after spending two bitter nights in a tent.
The forecast calls for overnight temperatures in the upper single digits Friday and Saturday.
But weather aside, the men are happy to draw attention to the plight of the homeless and raise funds for the fuel bank.
Last year, the group presented a $6,500 check to the fuel bank. Its goal this year is $7,500, Brown said.
Ironically, the cause is helped when the weather is cold and harsh.
“We get less when it’s nice out,” Brown said.
Understanding how the town comes together is a big part of the fundraiser, the men said.
“Knowing what the need is, I am glad to be a part of helping raise money to assist people here in town,” Selectman Stan Soby said. “It’s part of being a real community. People have generously supported us in the past, and I hope even more will do so this year.”
Suchecki, a sergeant with the Colchester police, said the town has always been willing to give back to others.
“Helping those in need is just the right thing to do,” Sucheki said. “How many of us are a couple of paychecks away from needing help ourselves?”
Cox said he’s prepared for the weekend outdoors. He has the proper cold-temperature clothing, as well as pads to insulate against the cold ground on which the men will sleep.
“We like being out on the green,” he said. “It draws attention to the fact that there are people who don’t have the money to spend on oil, or on the proper clothing. We’re doing it for a good cause.”
For the town’s fuel bank, the event is crucial.
“This is probably the main way we get funding for the fuel bank,” Colchester Social Services coordinator Amy McClafferty said. “We would be really limited without it.”
McClafferty said the town’s food bank receives generous donations, but that the fuel bank sometimes is overlooked.
“People are burning through oil this year too,” she said.
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