Firefighters bring gift of joy and light to Hudson woman
HUDSON – On Saturday, firefighters turned out to bring some holiday cheer to a family grieving the loss of a young husband.
Marlborough and Hudson firefighters decorated the home of Meredith Colacchio. Her husband Matt, a Marlboro DPW employee, died of cancer at the age of 32 in July. He and Meredith had recently purchased their first home.
"I'm really excited to see what they come up with," said Meredith Colacchio. She remembered her husband as someone who was friends "with just about anyone he came into contact with."
"It's great to see that he hasn't been forgotten," she said.
Colacchio said she didn't plan to decorate her house this year, even though she loves the holidays.
"I was a little hesitant to decorate my house for obvious reasons," she said. Seeing the nomination as a sign "to keep moving forward."
The project was funded by the Katie Palmer Project. Katie Palmer was a woman from Denison, Texas, who was killed by a hit-and-run driver in 2020, leaving behind a husband and children. The Project provides $400 to help firefighters decorate the homes of nominated families suffering from a personal tragedy to bring joy during the holiday season in honor of Palmer, who loved decorating.
"I felt it was perfect to find a family in our community that needed," Michael Cisek, a member of the union and organizer of the event, said. "This Christmas is going to be unlike any other Christmas she's been through before."
"There's good days and bad days," Colacchio said. "Today's a good day.