Donated janitorial services keeping Aurora shelter clean

The family behind a group of car dealerships in Naperville is helping keep a homeless services center in Aurora clean as it battles its first cases of the COVID-19 virus.

The Gerald family has donated 45 rounds of cleaning services from a Medinah-based janitorial company to Hesed House, where the first confirmed cases of the virus were announced this week.

Doug Gerald said his family paid for the services "so the volunteers they do have can focus on care rather than on cleaning up."

But on Wednesday, in a video posted on the Hesed House website, Executive Director Ryan Dowd said the organization has suspended all volunteer activities.

"The staff is a skeleton crew trying to hold it all together," Dowd said.

Crews from European Janitorial have been conducting three- to four-hour cleanings of Hesed House facilities, at a schedule of Hesed House's choosing, Gerald said.

Jakub Pyszka, general manager of European Janitorial, said the cleanings started April 3 to disinfect surfaces, take out trash and clean bathrooms and common areas.

The business found time to clean Hesed House despite a packed schedule, with regular clients requesting additional sanitation work. Pyszka said he wanted to take on the work because the Gerald family was hiring his company out of goodwill to help Hesed House.

"I have a lot of respect for that," Pyszka said. "If that's the case, then I'm going to do whatever I have to do to accommodate something to help them out."

Others can help Hesed House by donating things on the facility's needs list, available at www.hesedhouse.org/needs-list/. The list on Friday included personal care items, tools, nonperishable foods and art supplies.

Gerald said he originally reached out with the idea of donating meals to Hesed House. He said he gave the majority of 500 meals he donated from Chef By Request to the facility, with the remainder going to workers at Edward Hospital.

But in talking with Dowd, Gerald said, he learned assistance with cleaning was a more pressing need.

He made the donation of cleaning services after also giving back in other ways to help during the coronavirus pandemic, including donating a total of $20,000 to two Naperville-area educational funds meant to assist families in need since school is out and continuing as scheduled a donation to the Little Friends disability services agency and school from the Gerald Subaru of Naperville dealership.

"Hopefully it inspires people to think of ways and get creative to see what they can do too," Gerald said.