The Windham Medical Loan Closet will be moving to a new temporary location at the Windham Fire Department’s East Station at 47 Falmouth Road on Monday, Nov. 10.
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| The Windham Medical Loan Closet is moving on Monday, Nov. 10 to a temporary location at the Windham Fire Department's East Station at 47 Falmouth Road in Windham. The current facility at 221 Windham Center Road has no running water and requires structural repairs. PHOTO BY ED PIERCE |
The move was prompted by the state of the organization’s current building, located at 221 Windham Center Road, next to the Windham Public Library. The medical loan closet building’s accessibility ramp requires repair and there is no water access or bathroom facilities at the site.
“The building is unsafe,” said Lynda Murphy, the Loan Closet’s director and a volunteer there for nine years. She said the new temporary site “has worked out well.”
The fire station will provide a safe, accessible facility that meets the needs of both those in the community that are served by the Medical Loan Closet and the volunteers who support the organization. The group will also be able to use a conference room and room in one of the building’s vehicle bays to organize and store items.
Anyone who has borrowed equipment or is seeking to donate to the organization should be aware that drop-offs will be made at the new location as of Nov. 10, Murphy said.
Residents of Windham and Raymond can reach out to the Medical Loan Closet to borrow medical equipment, such as crutches, knee scooters, and wheelchairs, and receive other donated items necessary to care for themselves or their loved ones. There is no time limit on the loans, but the group asks that items be returned once they are no longer needed so that they may be provided to others in need.
“We used to say three months,” Murphy said. “Now we say short term, but it’s not a hard and fast rule. Some items never come back.”
Items are provided and picked up on an appointment basis, with requests filled by a rotating group of volunteers who monitor the organization’s voicemail, responding to calls for both needs and for those seeking to donate.
“We’re quite a service,” Murphy said. “We’re bleeding hearts and will do the best we can for just about everybody.”
She praised the volunteers that make the work possible, recounting how one member has been with the organization for at least 20 years.
“She goes way above and beyond to where people know to call her directly when they need things,” she said. The group has “a lot of years and a lot of history.”
The loan closet is always in search of new volunteers to help those in need in the community. The time commitment is less intense, Murphy explained, as each member is expected to commit to answering calls for service for one week in a rotating schedule based on how many volunteers they currently have.
As of right now they have 11 volunteer members, and for example, each person covers one week out of every 11. There is flexibility as well if life circumstances require volunteers to switch weeks with others. Appointments with community members are set as per the volunteer’s schedule, allowing for people to volunteer as their schedule allows. Currently, they answer an average of 35 calls each week, between donations and requests for items. The group also holds two overall meetings per year.
“I never turn away volunteers,” Murphy said, emphasizing that the town supports the group’s mission as well.
Windham provides a grant of $600 annually to help fund the organization. The town’s Public Works Department also assists in disposing of damaged or unusable equipment, while Tammy Hodgman with the Town Manager’s office provides support with the Medical Loan Closet budget and ordering supplies.
The community itself has played a major role in the organization’s success.
“Donations by beautiful people surpass” the amount given by the town, Murphy said. “People are just so grateful.”
In addition to donations of equipment, the group also purchases items as needed from Partners for World Health in Portland.
“We depend on Partners for World Health as a main resource for purchasing good quality used equipment to meet the community’s needs,” Murphy said. “It’s a wonderful resource for purchasing used equipment.”
In the event a member of the community is seeking an item the Medical Loan Closet does not possess, including any battery-powered items or heavy pieces of equipment that are difficult for volunteers to manage, they are directed to Partners for World Health as they frequently have specialty or more complex items at a better cost.
Murphy said that while a wheelchair might cost $175 from a major retailer like Walmart, Partners for World Health might have one that is still in very good condition but used for $40.
“It’s a wonderful resource for purchasing used equipment,” she said.
The Medical Loan Closet was started by Windham medical professionals who saw members of the community in need of equipment when facing infirmities. It grew into the Windham Health Closet, which became the Windham Medical Loan Closet.
Anyone seeking equipment, to donate, or for more information about volunteering can call 207-894-5999 and leave a message. <
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