BATTLE CREEK, Mich. –
In the early 1900s, near the historic Italian city of Syracuse on Sicily’s east coast, a local priest gifted an olive orchard to the grandfather of Nuzzo Dino Garofalo.
Garofalo, a 36-year veteran of Defense Logistics Agency Disposition Services and sometime municipal civil protection unit official, eventually inherited and worked the farm while providing full-time support to U.S. warfighters and raising a family.
Last summer, wildfires ripped through the area, taking out more than 100 of Garofalo’s trees, his barn, tractor, and important farming tools.
“All that history gone; it was heartbreaking. I was in shock when I heard the news,” said Kelly Clabbers, DLA’s former Sigonella site lead who operated its three-person property disposal office with Garofalo at the time. “When something like that happens, you just want to do what you can to tell them that they’re loved, that they mean something, that they’re not just coworkers, they’re family.”
She reached out to Aviano-based Shyla Rittgers-Atkins, a DLA general supply specialist and the region’s culture champion, for help with figuring out what, if any, assistance they could provide.
“It was devastating to hear,” said Rittgers-Atkins. “I mean, he makes olive oil? He inherited this legacy from his grandfather? To hear that [wildfire] destroyed everything he worked for – it just hit me hard.”
They decided on a plan to request financial donations from around the region to put toward new olive trees. Rittgers-Atkins checked into the legality of asking DLA colleagues to donate to the cause while Clabbers stealthily learned from Garofalo about olive tree replacement options and growth timelines. She learned that saplings could be gotten for about 35 Euros apiece and begin producing after just a few years. They set a 700 Euro goal, which could purchase about 20 trees.
“We raised 700 Euro,” Rittgers-Atkins said.
“A lot of people wanted to help him, it was quite successful,” Clabbers said. “When the amount came in, I was grateful and surprised at how much the team came together. And when I did present it to him, there were a lot of emotions.”
Clabbers arranged a farewell lunch with Garofalo in mid-December before departing for her new role as supervisory property disposal specialist for DLA’s demilitarization facility in Kaiserslautern, Germany. During the meal, she presented him with the donation money and a memory board of pre-fire orchard images.
“He immediately called his son, and I could overhear their excitement,” Clabbers said. “He grew emotional and said, ‘you didn’t have to do this.’”
Clabbers said that the farm rebuild is already underway. Garofalo has ordered saplings, and some of the damaged tree roots that he didn’t remove are now showing signs of new life. He also provided Rittgers-Atkins with a message to share with his region teammates.
DLA Family,
I am incredibly grateful for your generosity and wanted to take a moment to express my appreciation. Your kindness has made a huge impact on mine and my family’s lives and I cannot thank you enough for all that you've done. Your selflessness and willingness to help others is truly inspiring, and I feel so lucky to know and work with people as wonderful as you all are.
Thank you again for everything. – Dino