'It takes a village:' This Franklin County mom wants to help you with whatever you need

Whether it's a trip to the grocery store or a ride to the doctor's office, Angela Danko is here to help.

Danko started her Facebook page "Frankie Rae's Helping Hands" as a way to pay it forward and help those within her community.

"I'm just being me," she said. "I'm doing what I always do, which is trying to help people."

Danko, a stay-at-home mom, said it's something she wants to do in her spare time when the kids are at school.

"It really just happened organically," she said.

She gives people free rides and more

The week before she started the page, she came across a Facebook post of a woman who needed help getting her husband to a doctor's appointment while she was at work.

"I commented and she messaged me back asking if I was a nurse or a taxi service," she said. "I was like, 'no, I'm just somebody that wants to help.'"

Danko said that she wants to help those who may not have a smartphone to order a ride or an elderly person on a fixed income that may not have the means to pay for a regular medical transportation service.

"I'll take you to the grocery store; I'll sit at the doctor's office," she said. "It doesn't bother me any."

Danko has always had the "it takes a village" mindset.

"I always tell people, it takes a village - for adults, for kids, for elderly people," she said. "I want to be that village."

Helping others brings her joy

The helping hands began even before its appearance on Facebook. Danko usually has a full house of neighborhood kids that she gets off the school bus every day - for parents who may not be home in time from work or school.

This gives the kids a safe space to play, have a snack and do homework instead of going to an empty house alone.

"I want you to be able to succeed, so for you to succeed, I want you to be able to count on me," she said.

Lightening the load of those who carry a heavyweight is something that brings her joy.

"Say you live with an elderly parent," she said. "It would be really great after working 10 hours to go home and have dinner with mom, instead of picking mom up and then having to go to the grocery store."

Danko said that's where she can help, by taking mom to the grocery store beforehand.

With Valentine's Day coming up, Danko said she can help those who may have a hard time getting to the store out to pick up a card or gift for a loved one.

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Have to get the family pet to the vet but work during the hours they're open? She can help with that too.

"It's really kind of anything because I think that everyone needs a little help," she said.

Sometimes helping is a simple phone call.

"In the last year, two homes in my general neighborhood, I heard that at both of those houses someone had fallen and been there for days before they were found," she said. They both ended up passing away. Even making phone calls and checking up on somebody's welfare is important."

One point Danko wanted to express is that Frankie Rae's is a judgment-free zone.

"I hate people getting hopeless because they feel like they don't have anywhere to turn," she said.

Danko has had friends and family in the past help her out, so this is her way of paying that kindness forward.

"I may not have the money to pay it forward," she said. "But I have the time and I have the heart."

For now, Danko is going to help as many people as she can.

"I don't want to be so busy or have so much going on that everyone's just a number," she said.

She encourages others to pay it forward

Danko doesn't ask for anything in return, but sometimes people will try to help her with whatever they can in return.

"Sometimes people will throw me a couple of dollars for gas," she said. "That's really helpful."

She also aims to encourage others to help their own communities. Danko is starting with her own children, their middle names the inspiration for "Frankie Rae's."

"I've got a 9-year-old and a 6-year-old, so I want to set a good example for them. "It's always a matter of 'what did you do today to help someone? Did someone do something today to help you?'"

With how busy the world can be today, Danko said just taking notice of the needs of others can make a huge difference.

"I think that a lot of times, we are so wrapped up in our own stuff that we lose sight of not only the need that's out there but the beauty that's out there," she said.

Carley Bonk is a Watchdog Reporter for the Chambersburg Public Opinion. She can be reached at cbonk@publicopinionnews.com or on Twitter at @carls_marie.