OLEAN â When Dan Spring of Pleasant Valley Greenhouses & Nursery called Genesis House over a week ago to see if anyone who was low-income could use a Christmas tree, he learned of a homeless family that needed much more than that to make their holidays bright.
After learning that, Spring appealed to the community to help a homeless mom and her two children at the Genesis House shelter. The response was a landslide in donations of food, furniture and holiday gifts for the family.
Spring, who manages Pleasant Valley on Route 16 in Olean, said he initially was informed by Deb Westcott, executive director of Genesis House, of the plight of Lamara Shattuck and her two children, Trent, 13, and Maddie, 10.
OLEAN â Every year, brothers Galvin and Talin Nugent of Allegany try to think of a different charity to help â and then purchase the needed goods and items from money they earn from doing chores around their house.
This year, Galvin, 14, and Talin, 12, students at Allegany-Limestone Central School District, purchased a load of food, winter accessories, baby booties and various sizes of socks for the Genesis House homeless shelter in Olean.
Their parents, Danielle and Gary Nugent, said they are proud of their sons mainly because the funds used for the supplies each year is from their own money.
âThe boys try every year to do some kind of donation,â Danielle Nugent said. âTheyâve bought toys for Toys for Tots or one of the local (charities) from around here. This year when I asked them what they wanted to do, they said they wanted to help Genesis House.â