Nichols volunteer effort keeps MED Shed stocked for those in need

Three Nichols residents are helping sick or injured people get free medical equipment and supplies to keep them at home and out of hospitals or nursing homes.

“We’ve had people leave here in tears” after picking up medical supplies or equipment that they otherwise couldn’t afford, Barb Quick said. “We fill a very, very big void for many people.”

Quick is one of three volunteers who runs the MED (medical equipment distribution) Shed of Nichols.

The MED Shed collects medical supplies and equipment that is clean and in good condition and gives it away to anyone who needs it. Charlene Katchuk and Jim Pierson are the other two volunteers for the MED Shed.

Now in its fourth year of operation, the shed used to be run by Community Care Network of Nichols which became part of Tioga Opportunities of Owego. Pierson visited the former site when his wife broke her foot and needed a walker and learned the shed needed some other organization to take it over. He approached his church, First Presbyterian Church of Nichols, which agreed to house the shed on its grounds.

The MED Shed consists of two sheds. Inside are rows of canes, wheelchairs, pads, shower chairs and bed alarms. Shoehorns are available to help those with swollen feet along with devices to help people with Parkinson’s disease manage shaky hands while eating and Hoyer lifts to help those who can’t walk get in and out of bed.

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“Just about anything anybody needs is here. It’s all free,” Pierson said.

Donations are welcome but not required. Equipment does not have to be returned except for rollators, transporters, wheelchairs and knee scooters, Pierson said.

All donations are used to purchase items for the MED Shed such as wheelchairs, Pierson said.

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Many people donate medical supplies and equipment after a family member moves to a nursing home or dies. If it weren’t for the MED Shed, a lot of the items would just get thrown out, Quick said.

“We are recycling and helping those in need,” she said.

Anyone in need is welcome to come and pick up items regardless of where they live, Pierson said. They’ve had people come from Broome County and as far away as Ithaca, Corning and Pennsylvania.

Home health aides and visiting nurses visit the MED Shed to load up on supplies for their patients, Pierson said.

“They come, and they pack their car full,” he said.

There’s a lot of phone calls and behind-the-scenes work involved in running the MED Shed but the three volunteers say they don’t mind doing it.

“It’s something to help our fellow men and women,” Pierson said.

For Katchuk, hearing the stories of those who use the MED Shed is enough to keep her involved in the shed’s day-to-day operation.

“Some of them are heartbreaking,” she said.

For example, one little girl had a hard time getting a wheelchair small enough to fit her until the MED Shed came to her rescue, Katchuk said.

Quick looks forward to the “gratification of helping others,” she said. “You see it in their faces, and it’s very heartwarming.”

If you go

The MED Shed is located behind the First Presbyterian Church at 140 South Main St. in Nichols. The MED Shed has no set hours and is open by appointment only.

To donate medical equipment or to pick up equipment, call: Jim Pierson at 607-699-3173; Barb Quick at 607-699-3736 or Charlene Katchuk at 607-699-3302.

Monetary donations are always welcome. Checks should be made out to First Presbyterian Church with the words “MED Shed” in the memo line. The MED Shed doesn’t accept any medicine.

More about Jim Pierson

Hometown: Chenango Bridge

Home: Nichols

Career: Retired from IBM and Lowe's

Family: Wife, Marcia; three children, seven grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren

More about Barb Quick

Hometown: Pensacola, Fla.

Home: Nichols

Career: Retired mechanical designer

Family: Widowed with two children, two stepchildren and three grandchildren

More about Charlene Katchuk

Hometown: Nichols

Career: Retired from the business office of Robert Packer Hospital in Sayre, Pa.

Family: Husband, Larry; two children and three grandchildren

This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: Nichols volunteer effort keeps MED Shed stocked for those in need