Neighbor with Giant Connections Delivers

New Krail Street kitchen courtesy of local Gentle Giant reps

Eastfallslocal collage moving truck fridge text

UPDATE (October 6, 2015): Finally moved in! See pics at end of post.

New floors, rugs, bunkbeds, furniture — things are looking up at the Krail house and Colleen Moffitt is almost home again. The latest improvement? A refrigerator and a stove, courtesy of these guys–

Eastfallslocal collage kitchen big hearts etc

It’s Andrew Rozzi and Slaven Simunovic of Gentle Giant Movers and they’ve been on this Krail house thing from the very start when Colleen’s place barely had walls. In fact, they brought new walls with them–delivering and hanging drywall during some very hot summer days.

Joining the Team

As a new resident in the Falls*, Andrew was one of the first to volunteer for Team Colleen.

I wanted to get involved in my community and be part of something bigger. And, as a manager at Gentle Giant, it’s also part of our mission to give back to the communities we serve.

As movers, we come across a lot of furniture and food that are left behind when people leave their homes. Making sure these things go to the people that need them is something we believe in. So we partner with charity organizations, like Furnishing Hope, to help people get back on their feet.

When I heard that Colleen needed appliances for the kitchen, I called our headquarters in Boston and had them ship the stove and fridge down.

Eastfallslocal new kitchen krail street text

A Wish List

Andrew and Slaven had barely moved in the appliances before they asked Colleen to put together a wish list of other things she needed (dining room and living room furniture topped her list) and offered to coordinate the delivery of any local donations she might receive.

We can’t guarantee anything with the wish list, said Slaven, but corporate always has new shipments coming in. And we keep an eye out when we’re rummaging through people’s houses. We find all sorts of good stuff.

The Home Stretch

Almost done. A few more upgrades in the coming weeks and Colleen’s in!

  • Refinishing floors. Andy Shields, local contractor will strip, sand, and stain floors again. Colleen found him through a friend.
  • Bathroom/plumbing. Colleen’s son Anthony, a plumber, is installing a new sink, toilet, and tub in the second floor bathroom.
  • Kitchen. Anthony will install a new sink
  • Utilities. Colleen will have the gas turned on.

* Andrew: We moved to East Falls in April (Tilden Street). We picked East Falls on the recommendation of friends who owned a house on Vaux. They loved the area, but needed more space – they keep telling me how much they miss it so much we’re getting together for a pint at Murphy’s on Wednesday night.

Slaven lives in Bucks county. He’s originally from Bosnia & Herzegovina, but moved to Philly with his family when he was 12. 

UPDATE: October 6, 2015

Moving day! After 5 long years, Colleen and family are finally home! House saved? Check. Family saved? Check. So happy for Colleen and proud of the generous neighbors that made it possible! Way to go #EastFalls!

Eastfallslocal.Moving Day Collage

2 Comments

  1. What a great conmmunity service by Gentle Giant, and special kudos to the staff in Philadelphia. A couple of Gentle Giants came to the aid of my non-profit agency a couple of years ago when they loaned us their ‘brawn’ and helped us get a couple of double refrigerators in the door to our food pantry What a great housewarming for Colleen!

    • Thank you for sharing Judy. What a cool story. We’re sure glad we met Andrew and Slaven (and Colleen is certainly over the moon about ’em!)

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