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'Benches for Heroes' | Army veteran makes handmade benches for hometown heroes

Ed refurbishes old benches and gifts them to first responders and fellow veterans.

WINDSOR, Conn. — 82-year-old Ed Cutler likes to get his hands dirty, and that happens daily. Cutler, an Army veteran, can often be seen in his well-equipped garage at work with his homemade initiative called “Benches for Heroes”.

Essentially, Ed refurbishes old benches and gifts them to first responders and fellow veterans.

“It’s a good feeling,” said Cutler as he was working on one of his latest benches, “I think it’s patriotism, patriotism makes you feel good.”

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Cutler, who lives with his wife Joyce, and is a great-grandfather, said his goodwill project began about a decade ago. 

“Whether they’re in combat or a police officer putting his life on the line every day, or a firefighter or a nurse, maybe it’s a little 12-year-old girl battling Cancer – they are heroes, they are special people,” he said. 

Each bench is customized, some have personal messages carved into them. Cutler estimated he has given out around 220 hand-built benches over the past decade to recipients across New England, and, recently, he gifted a bench to a woman running an orphanage in Ukraine. 

“It’s just a bench, it’s not an answer to world peace, it’s not a cure for Cancer. It’s just a bench but a lot of love goes into those benches,” Cutler added. 

To learn more about “Benches for Heroes” click their Facebook page

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