Charlie Poverumo was a person with a heart of gold who never hesitated to help those in need.
He was aware that summers in his country were hot and that it was difficult for people like construction workers, sanitation workers and even police officers to stay cool during their working hours.
It was then that he decided to make their life easier by offering them cold drinks.
His wife remembers how he would go into the kitchen, grab a stack of plastic cups and a large jug and leave them outside to make sure everyone got what they wanted.
And that’s what Charlie continued to do every summer for the next eight years.
Once he realized his idea was a great one, and that it kept the workers happy and refreshed, he started buying water bottles he would put in the cooler along with lots of ice. He made sure that cooler was always full, each and every day of the long, hot summers.
Charlie even put some juice bottles and food along with the water. And he did all this just because he believed it was the right thing to do. His wife says that the word of what Cahrlie did spread among the DPW employees, firemen, and construction workers who would stop by the shade under Charlie’s tree and have a nice cold bottle of water.
However, this summer was different. The radiator is no longer in front of the house. Although everyone wondered what had happened, no one assumed that the fellow was no more and that he had died suddenly before the arrival of summer.
His wife was still mourning the death of her husband, and a cooler and bottles of water were the last thing on her mind. But once I realized how important it was to Charlie, I decided to continue the tradition. She wanted the workers to have a place where they could take a break from the hard work. The couple had been married for 37 years and his wife knew Charlie wanted her to continue doing good.
The wife ran to the store and bought bottles of water, put them in front of the house under the big tree and knew what she was doing was a beautiful way to honor her husband’s life. Once the workers discover the cooler, they notice that it comes with a note informing them of Charlie’s death. They were saddened by the tragic news because they knew how kind and generous he was.
Now, eight years after Charlie started providing them with refreshments, these people realize they had to do something to tell his wife that what her husband did for them would never be forgotten.
“…I heard the unmistakable sound of the garbage truck stopping easily, and when I turned to look, I watched in awe as each man got out of the truck, the driver got out to join them and in line right they stood together and greeted our home and me!!At that very moment, I was filled with my watery eyes and my body began to shake as each of them one by one approached me, picked me up hand, hugged me and told me how very sorry they were and no one had them. A water or two, and he got back in the truck and gave a loud grunt as he drove off.
When other people learned what Charlie and his wife Velvet did every summer, even though it was a good thing for other workers who had trouble staying hydrated, many of them started doing the same, what became known as “Glacières Charlie”. .
Velvet is thrilled when she hears other people coming out of coolers with cold water, as she believes each one is a tribute to her late husband.
