South Shore company offers free house cleanings for cancer patients

QUINCY, Mass — Gina Guglielmi owns 3rd Hand Cleaning and Painting Cleaning Services, Painting Contractor | Quincy, MA (thirdhandcleanandpaint.com) in Quincy. It’s a business she never thought she’d get into. “I started the cleaning company basically out of need,” she said.

Guglielmi launched her 5-person business after Covid-19 forced her from a long career as a chef for a catering company.

But Guglielmi calls it a blessing because it’s enabled her to team-up with a non-profit called Cleaning For A Reason Cleaning for a Reason – Free house cleaning for cancer patients.

The Texas-based charity forwards Guglielmi the names of local cancer patients, which are given to them by nurses, cancer care providers or social workers. Guglielmi then donates two free house cleanings, for two patients each, over a two month period. “Just keeping their space in order is just so freeing so you can worry about the things you need to worry about, particularly when you’re trying to get yourself healthy again,” she said.

In the past 16 years, Cleaning For A Reason has helped nearly 45-thousand cancer patients across the United States and Canada. including Mary Meehan of Natick. “At that point you really didn’t care, but when someone said they would come and clean, you say terrific! And the bathroom, I mean the bathroom literally sparkled. I mean it was so clean,” Meehan said.

The charity hits close to home for Guglielmi. She has lost several family members to cancer, including her father. So for her, cleaning a house for free so a cancer patient can concentrate on recovery is priceless. “Coming in and helping these people who are in a very critical time of their life, I just feel lucky to be able to do it. I really do,” she said.

The Cleaning For A Reason charity has donated more than $15 million worth of cleanings to cancer patients and their families since its inception in 2006.

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