#Charliescooler: Widow honours her husband's sweet legacy
Charlie Poveromo was a simple man: a bartender and devoted husband from New Jersey who noticed something one day and came up with a solution to fix it.
Eight years ago, a heatwave struck his hometown of Milford during the summer.
Charlie noticed that several garage-men working outside were struggling with the temperature.
So he offered them some water and shade to help them to withstand the heat.
To make sure that they were always hydrated in the weather, Charlie placed a water cooler filled with refreshments outside his house for any labourers to stop by and enjoy.
In honor of a tradition my father started, my mother and many others have been leaving bottled water and snacks for public workers during the hot summer. You can read more below and if you participate, be sure to use the hashtag #CharliesCooler https://t.co/aWW9ky2Cj5
— Mrhappy1227 (@Mrhappy1227) July 4, 2018
This became the norm every summer for almost ten years, for the five day working week.
His cooler became famous, with everyone from construction workers to police offers stopping by to avail of the drinks.
However, Charlie sadly passed away suddenly on 10th of March this year, aged 57.
His wife Velvet was heartbroken, but she decided to uphold her late husband's tradition and keep the water cooler outside this summer.
She then shared her story on Facebook and suddenly #Charliescooler was trending on social media.
The community response was huge – Velvet had people dropping by with hugs, kind words and even offering to mow her lawn!
Then, people began to put their own water coolers out in honour of Charlie and his dedication to his townspeople.
My husband made my area where I keep my #CharliesCooler all pretty today! It gets very sunny late in the day so now it will have shade! Too bad I don’t have an @PolandSpringWtr umbrella pic.twitter.com/C3aTsTydi2
— Monica Pidhorecki (@MaywoodTender) July 4, 2018
Social media really got behind #Charliescooler with one user commenting, ''my #CharliesCooler can be found at 354 E Midland Ave if anyone is need of cold water this Summer. Please help spread the word especially among our town workers or join in the project.''
Another person called it ''a tribute to a well-loved bartender.''
What a truly wonderful way to keep Charlie's good deeds alive.