04/15/2026
Backpacks from Massachusetts to Maine
On Monday April 6, 2026 I visited the Bradford House in Haverhill, Ma. Upon my arrival they came out to greet me and helped me to unload the van of their supplies. I think it was the first delivery that I've made where I didn't have to carry anything into the house. Once inside I started to tell them the story of Ricky, Nicholas and what we do at Ricky, Inc.
After speaking with the men of Bradford House for over 30 minutes, we posed for a group photo.
All of these gentlemen were very appreciative of the items that they received and could not have been any more gracious towards me and our organization.
I look forward to visiting Bradford House again, possibly this summer as I accepted House Director Tim Simpson's invitation to a house B-B-Q.
"Thanks guys - Stay Strong"
During my visit with the men, we had a lot of back-and-forth discussion with questions and answers. Many of them were visibly moved by the stories of my family tragedies and how my wife and I started this organization.
Near the end of my talk, David said that the men had collectively written a 2-page testimonial and signed a Thank You card. David also stood in front of the group and read the testimonial aloud to me.
I did everything I could to not openly cry but the tears in my eyes were far too obvious. This was the most moving piece of writing I had ever received and hit so close to home that I was amazed at what I was hearing. It was being read to me with such passion and honesty that it was hard not to be emotional.
The next section presented here is a copy of the exact wording that these humble men had put together. Please take the time to read this; it is extremely well written, poignant, heart breaking and uplifting.
They call themselves
"16 Voices in Recovery"
To the Compassionate Strangers, the Givers, and the Believers,
We are writing this letter not just as 16 individuals, but as one collective voice of survival.
Between the 16 of us, we have lived through decades of darkness. We are sons, fathers, students, teachers, and neighbors. We are also recovering drug addicts and alcoholics.
We wanted to take a moment to put into words something that is often very difficult for us to express: what your charity, your kindness, and your willingness to give back truly means to us. It can be difficult to voice our gratitude, especially when for so long we have felt undeserving, but “little by slow” healing is helping us grow and learn to vocalize our newfound appreciation.
To understand our gratitude, you first have to understand where we came from. We want to be honest with you about what it was really like out there. Addiction is a thief that steals quietly at first, and then all at once. It took our homes, our families, our careers, and eventually, it took our dignity.
Many of us know what it feels like to be entirely invisible. We know the bone-deep chill of sleeping on concrete or in the backseats of cars that didn’t run. Or, very often not sleeping at all… We know the exhaustion of waking up every single day knowing that the next 24 hours would be a brutal, agonizing fight just for basic necessities. We fought for a safe place to close our eyes. We fought for a meal that wasn’t pulled from the trash. We fought the horrific physical withdrawals of a disease that told us we needed our substance more than we needed oxygen.
When you are living on the street, consumed by alcoholism or drug addiction, the world becomes a very cold place, void of empathy… Society often looks right through you, or worse, looks at you with disgust, we’ve felt the harsh sting the stigma of disease brings with it. You begin to believe that you are exactly what the world tells you that you are: worthless, a lost cause, a moral failure. You stop believing you deserve a warm bed, a hot meal, or a second chance.
But then there was you. CHARITY used to be just a word we heard around the holidays, but for us, charity became a literal lifeline. Charity wasn’t a check written to an organization; it was the pair of dry, wool socks handed to us in the freezing rain. It was the hot cup of coffee given with a smile instead of a sneer. It was the bed at the treatment center that we couldn’t afford, but that was fully funded by people who never even knew our names.
When we had absolutely nothing to offer in return – when we were at our most broken, unlovable, and desperate – people like you stepped up.
We are so profoundly grateful that people still exist who are willing to give back to those struggling with the disease of addiction. You understand something that most of the world still struggles to grasp; addiction is a disease, not a moral failing. It rewires the brain and breaks the spirit.
By continuing to donate, volunteer, and support recovery programs, you are actively saying that our lives are still worth saving.
You are saying that our past does not have to dictate our future.
Because of the grace and charity of others, the 16 of us are clean and sober today.
Today, we aren’t fighting for survival on the streets, we are fighting for our recovery. We are holding down jobs, making amends to the families we hurt, and learning how to live life on life’s terms. We are piecing our dignity back together, OND DAY AT A TIME. And, as we heal, we are learning to extend that same charity to the next person walking through the doors of recovery, broken and terrified, just like we were.
You didn’t just help feed us or shelter us, you bought us TIME. You bought us the time we needed to get our minds clear to choose life.
Thank you for not giving up on us when we had given up on ourselves.
Thank you for your generosity, your empathy, and your unrelenting belief in the power of redemption. We will spend the rest of our lives paying it forward.
With the deepest, most profound gratitude,
"16 Voices in Recovery"
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On Monday March 2, 2026 I visited the Milestone Recovery Center in Portland Maine.
Ricky, Inc delivered 36 filled backpacks along with numerous extra supplies including Bombas socks, cases of hand warmers, cases of hygiene products, men's and women's underwear and art supplies for the Nicholas Giacoppo Memorial Bureau
The Nicholas Giacoppo Memorial Bureau is accessible to all clients of Milestone Recovery and is filled with art supplies in memory of Nick's incredible talent as an artist.
The framed picture above the bureau is an original print "hand drawn" by Nicholas in 2022. There are two more of Nick's framed prints on display inside of the resident's area.
Nick loved working with Milestone as part of his duties as our Maine - Street Outreach Coordinator. He loved distributing backpacks and always asked for more.
MILESTONE RECOVERY
Amy Chaney of Milestone Recovery happily accepts that many items that we donated to their organization.
Milestone has many different functions and operates a residential facility, Detox and has a mobile Street Outreach program. Many of our backpacks will be distributed by the Street Outreach team that Nick used to work closely with (Nick pictured with Street Outreach Team).
