WinCentral.org

After their house sustained severe damage in a December fire, a Winchester couple learned that neighborly support in Winchester is not just a “figure of speech.”

Initiated by Winchester businessman Raphael Rafatpanah of Koko Boodakian, local businesses rallied around two of their fellow residents and provided them with much needed support.

“When I read about Melanie’s situation on the WinCentral.org forum, I immediately felt like we should do something together, as a community, to help a fellow resident,” said Rafatpanah. “I approached WinCentral and a number of its other member businesses, and within their help we put together this package of gifts for Melanie. It was really amazing how everyone was ready to pitch in, without hesitation.”

On Saturday, Feb. 6, WinCentral representatives Jeff Cabral and Alex Lorenz presented Melanie and Coleman (last name withheld at their request), seven-year residents of Winchester, with a gift package by local businesses.

Koko Boodakian, Phoenix Salon, Sakura Restaurant, The Greek Grille, Scruples Hair Salon, Simply Sophisticated Spaces, Soluna Garden Farm, Six Seeds Video, Spencer Photo and the Caci/Randazzo Team provided the gift package presents.

According to Melanie, the value of these gifts goes far beyond what can be measured in dollars.

“Winchester has been my home of choice for some time now,” she said. “After moving here from Connecticut, I fell in love with this place right away. Our house was unfortunately damaged in a fire so badly that we won’t be able to move back in until the middle of this year. Many of our local friends and neighbors have reached out to help right away. But this support has really gone well beyond what I expected. It proves to me that Winchester is a very special place to live in, indeed. This is where neighbors are still neighbors, where the community is strong and vibrant, where people support each other. My thanks go to the Winchester businesses community that stepped up to assist us, and to WinCentral for providing the platform where this has been made possible.”