Today was a “move forward” day. My good friend Manny Castro came out to volunteer and work with the day laborers. He’s a non-stop hard worker and what was uncovered below the foot of clothing didn’t stop him at all. In addition, Dan Swanson returned and brought more pop, water, and ice.

Another blessing was when the Shallowford Presbyterian Church showed up with about 15 volunteers. Most were members of the Youth Group, lead by Director Jay York, but there were adult members of the church present as well. Volunteers were fed today by Karen Lockridge.

A few people got sick and had to leave. One of our guys got a nose bleed that wouldn’t stop, but he pressed forward.

We filled the 6-ton City of Chamblee dump truck very quickly, so all trash bags were placed curbside. In total, there were over 500 bags of trash on the curb. Instead of a ‘beer run,’ we did a trash bag run three times today!

The team was able to clear the dining area, kitchen, foyer and one-third of the living room. The front door is now open, and fresh air can get into the house! The hallway to the bath and bedroom was cleared up to the bathroom door. There was a lot of trash in the kitchen and bathroom.

Alice, assisted by her best friend, Jean, sorted one full green bagster into two piles: yard sale and keep. The yard sale pile was larger than the keep pile — a much better day!

Alice told me she took a bath last night, then went into the basement to find it flooded again. It was dry when I arrived this morning, so the concrete soaks it up rather quickly. Plus, the fans and air conditioning unit help as well. We are getting closer to the back bathroom so we can get the leak fixed.

Jean, Alice’s best friend, is working with a CPA to open a special bank account to deposit contributions. She is working with two of her friends who are drafting emails and will be making calls.

I received a call from a woman who saw the clip on the news. Her father was a hoarder and said she had to clean it up when he passed and it was a massive effort. She and her son plan to come sometime this week to volunteer their time to help Miss Alice. She’s been watching the updates on the web site and appreciates knowing there are others like her father. Miss Alice was brave to share her story, but it has helped others already.

The church members were ready to volunteer again tomorrow, later in the afternoon, but I need the day off, and so do the laborers. I’ll be picking up the guys again Monday morning at 7:30. We will work on the living room until Alice leaves and then start down the hallway to her bedroom and bath.

It’s going to be more challenging for Alice to climb into her bedroom once the entire hallway is cleared. We may have to give her a ladder to use for a day.

I’m going to meditate, pray and take a nap now. My body is exhausted. It was non-stop at the house today. I think I filled 100 of the bags myself!

— Reported by Kathy Coupland.

Day 6 photos below (Photos by Dan Swanson). View report for Day 7 (Sorry, no photos; day of rest!).