Wheel It Forward is a durable medical equipment lending library that opened a Newtown branch on October 1, 2025. The volunteers in Newtown have been working for just over one year now, and there are no signs of slowing operations.

Currently, the volunteers operate out of Blue Rock Storage at 12 Commerce Road three days a week. The volunteer organization has four storage units currently being used as a donation and borrowing hub.

Al Stockalis, a volunteer at the Newtown branch and regional board member, said, “We are amazed at the level of interest, the number of people that we’ve helped, and the amount of equipment that we’ve been able to lend. It’s been amazing.”

Nancy Rhodes, a volunteer and regional board member, agreed with Stockalis. She thinks what Wheel It Forward has been able to do is amazing and is excited to reach as many people as she can. She brings flyers to health fairs, doctors’ offices, and senior living communities to spread the word about this new kind of library.

In the last week of October, Wheel It Forward’s Newtown branch hit a new record: 25 pieces of equipment were lent out in one day. Sue Hatch, operations manager at the Newtown branch and a regional board member, said it was “super cool.

“People were coming in, obviously, to borrow a lot of equipment. We had a crew back there cleaning … they needed specialty walkers, so they were changing that out. It was literally all hands on deck working, and it was really neat to see the process work.”

Over the past year, Newtown has lent out 483 items 615 times. There have been 290 families that have been able to borrow durable medical equipment (DME) from Wheel It Forward. And the Newtown branch still has more to give, as there are 704 pieces of equipment in Newtown’s inventory.

Elliot Sloyer is one of the founders of Wheel It Forward. He explained that the nature of Wheel It Forward “will build on itself.

“It’s hard to turn the spigot off. There’s all this stuff that is looking for someplace to go,” Sloyer explained.

At the beginning of the Newtown branch’s journey, most appointments were for donations. As they carried on, a few borrow appointments popped up, and now it is an even mix of donations and borrow appointments, with some returns mixed in. Newtown’s branch has also reached across Fairfield County, helping out people in Monroe, New Milford, Danbury, Redding, Brookfield, Easton, Weston, and even Ridgefield. All of this impact is achieved by only being open three days a week.

“We’re proud that we’ve never needed to say no to anybody,” Sloyer explained. Hatch shared that a benefit to the multiple branches is that they share equipment. If Newtown does not have a piece of equipment someone needs, they can call the Stratford/Bridgeport or Stamford branches and get it to the person in just a few days. As a whole, Wheel It Forward receives over 1,200 calls a month from people looking to borrow DME.

Wheel It Forward continues to grow in ways to help the community and recently signed a memorandum of understanding with American Red Cross’ Greenwich, Westchester, Rockland County chapter to be a provider of DME in times of disaster.

“It’s not about the equipment,” Rhodes said. “We’re not just the equipment.” Rhodes shared a story about a person who called her shortly after their husband passed and asked to have all of the equipment picked up immediately. After it was picked up, the person thanked her and said, “I’ll call you when I’m ready.”

The Future Of Wheel It Forward

While Newtown’s branch has been making the storage unit work at Blue Rock Storage, Sloyer did say they are looking for a more permanent location with amenities, like a bathroom.

The team is also always looking for more volunteers. Stockalis, Hatch, Rhodes, and Sloyer explained there are several different roles people can fill. Volunteers are needed for customer service, answering phones, cleaning equipment, checking inventory, transportation, marketing, and more.

Stockalis added that every volunteer has a “sense of satisfaction,” even those who are behind the scenes cleaning up pieces of DME.

Hatch also encourages people to join and bring their ideas. Currently, there is a doorbell at the entrance of Blue Rock Storage for Wheel It Forward clients or donors to ring when they come for their appointment. That was an idea from a volunteer.

Meetings are once a month, and a hybrid option is available for those who may not be able to attend in person. For those who are interested in joining the cause, call 203-652-8600, extension 221 to reach Hatch directly.

Wheel It Forward is also open to hosting team building days for companies. Employees from Eversource, M&T Bank, and other companies have come to help out around the different branches.

Sloyer said that for every dollar Wheel It Forward spends, it is able to lend out $3 to the community. He said it “more than pays for itself.”

Wheel It Forward is always looking for donations to continue its mission, DME to add to its inventory, and volunteers to help hand it out. Find more information about the organization by visiting wheelitforwardusa.org.

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Reporter Sam Cross can be reached at sam@thebee.com.