The Closet reaches across Virginia
Source: Fairfax County TimesFairfax County
By Gregg MacDonald
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 15 2007
The local roosters were still sleeping when James Viar left his Berryville home to begin the 30-plus mile trip to The Closet in Herndon at around 5 a.m. last Wednesday. Viar, 80, didn't pay that any mind. He had a job to do. That particular day was expected to break heat records across Northern Virginia, and eventually did, but Viar paid no mind to that either.His only stop along the way was to pick up his senior partner, Horace Bruce, 84, and then the two of them arrived at the Closet before 6 a.m.
There, they exited Viar's vehicle and hopped into a white, filled-to-capacity 2006 Ford F-350 Heavy Duty moving truck, and took off for the town of Shenandoah. The octogenarian duo have maintained this weekly ritual for the past 15 years.
"I inherited them," quips Closet Manager Aaron Sawyer, who supervises the weekly ritual of the truck's departure. According to Sawyer, donated items that don't quite meet the Closet's exacting standards are re-gifted to one of several pre-determined drop-off locations in western Virginia once every week, and sometimes twice.
"It might be an article of clothing with a stain or the zipper doesn't work or it may be an electrical item that won't come on," he says of the truck's weekly cargo. "But it is not just a few items," he adds. "we're talking tonnage, every week."
Sawyer says the items are donated to those in need "strictly as a humanitarian effort" and that their value is not recorded, not even for tax write-off purposes. "It is strictly done as an offshoot of our philosophy to help those in need. Letting everyone know how much The Closet does for the needy across the state, that's my own legacy," Sawyer says with a laugh.
The truck's next stop is the Burger King in Front Royal, for biscuits and gravy. "I wouldn't do without them," Bruce declares adamantly.
Over food and coffee, the two volunteer drivers open up about their volunteer service, and themselves. Viar, who moved to Herndon in 1939, was a Safeway Food Store executive for many years, and only moved out of Herndon in 2001. He is still a member of the First Baptist Church of Herndon, and has been since 1957.
Bruce is also a member of the church, as is The Closet's president, Laura Greenspan. "That's how I met Laura and got into this," he says. Bruce, a former CIA analyst, moved to Herndon from Winston Salem, N.C. in 1955, and still resides in the town. "I also spent some time in banking and in the Navy," he says.
"This new truck sure is better than the old one," Bruce exclaims. "The old one had 154,000 miles on it when we turned it in." "I like the air conditioning on the new one better than the old one too," interjects Viar. "The old one had two and 50 air conditioning ... two windows rolled down at 50 miles an hour."
Both men laugh, but then immediately get refocused on their mission. "Better get going," Viar announces. "We still got 47.3 miles to go," Bruce adds. The truck roars down Route 340 past both Luray and Skyline Caverns, and eventually into Page County, where it is met by Sheila Bentley, a native of the area who cuts hair in her home barber shop for $5.50 a pop.
"I just can't say enough good things about The Closet," Bentley declares. "There is so much need out here that when that truck pulls up, it is like Christmas for the people here."
According to Bentley, the population of Shenandoah is approximately 2,300.
"We have one doctor and one supermarket and one pharmacy," she says. "There is hardly any work to be had here and these shipments have helped so many families in this area."
Her husband, Larry, is both an electrician and a carpenter, and is able to repair many of the donated items before they are distributed to area residents. "Fifty to 60 needy people will come by here within the next three days," he said. "It's time to get busy."
The Bentleys recently made the trip to Herndon to see The Closet for themselves. "I was amazed," Sheila says. "Both the store and Herndon itself are so big."
"I am blessed to be able to be in a position to help people," Sawyer said. "But I only work here. The Closet is really a testament to the people of Herndon and the surrounding areas."