EAST HARTFORD, Conn. — The East Hartford community gathered on Oak Street Tuesday night to spend time with Mr. and Mrs. Claus, get in the Christmas spirit, and donate to their local food bank.
Rick Bollash has decorated his home with Christmas inflatables for three years to give people a place to take a stroll surrounded by holiday joy. He collects donations for the St. Mary's East Hartford Food Bank. Late last week, the bin and the donations in it were stolen from his yard.
After that, the donations have been pouring in. He welcomed people to his home Tuesday and filled a pickup truck bed with donations for the food bank. The East Hartford fire union 1548 collected and donated $1,800.
"I could cry right now. It’s unbelievable. The effort that everybody’s put into this it’s overwhelming. It’s definitely going to be back again next year bigger and better," Bollash said after receiving the check.
Union President Brian Gunnoud says the community always steps up to help.
"We were glad to send out an email to our membership. Luckily, we have some great firefighters in this town and everybody kicked in a little bit to help out. We just felt bad this happened to such a nice gentleman who is trying to do this for a good cause," he said.
Bollash says they have raised $3,000 in two days for the food bank. He received two $500 checks and cash donations. His living room was filled with donations as people felt the need to give back.
"I felt like, if someone felt the need to take it, they must have needed it as well so there are a lot of people in need. I’m in a position where I can help out a little bit, so why not celebrate the holiday spirit by giving back," neighbor Hank Stephenson told FOX61 Saturday as he dropped off food.
Bollash said he felt like giving up after the bin was stolen, but his community wanted him to continue.
"When it snowed that weekend, I was going to let it stay buried and not resurrect it, but the outpouring that I got. People came by and said, 'You have to keep it going for our kids,'" Bollash said.
Tony Black is a multi-media journalist at FOX61 News. He can be reached at tblack@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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