The Dickinson County Cancer Unit Loan Closet, now at 201 E. Breitung Ave., has been providing equipment to cancer and non-cancer patients since about 2000, President Diane Schabo said.

It was started by Lorraine Luba and the late Ruth Weber. When the cancer society left the area, they asked the women if they wanted the equipment they had in stock.

“They started out of Ruth’s home with medical equipment — whatever was given to them — and it just kind of grew,” Schabo said.

A local business contacted Luba and offered space in a building that was behind Dr. John Garrett’s office. But when the business expanded, the cancer closet had to find a new home.

THE DICKINSON COUNTY CANCER Unit Loan Closet loans equipment to cancer and non-cancer patients in Dickinson County and Florence, Spread Eagle, Aurora and Niagara in Wisconsin. Here, volunteer Vi Axberg sanitizes a pair of crutches to be loaned to a client. (Marguerite Lanthier/Daily News photo)

They have been at their current site in Kingsford for about three years, in a building that formerly housed a heating company.

“We had to find a space that could handle all our equipment and still have some type of office setting for our volunteers and our clients,” Schabo said.

With the help of volunteers, the building was cleaned and redesigned to have a board room, reception area, lounge area and space to store equipment and supplies. Office equipment was donated by the Oldenburg Group, now Lake Shore Systems, when that company moved to their new offices.

The cancer closet provides for patients in Dickinson County and the surrounding Wisconsin communities of Florence, Spread Eagle, Aurora and Niagara. The loan closet helps several hundred new people a year and they keep a master list of people they serve.

They provide shower chairs, commodes, walkers, wheelchairs, crutches, canes and just about everything else. They used to provide medical beds and lift chairs, but they don’t have the space in the new building, she said.

THE DICKINSON COUNTY CANCER Unit Loan Closet at 201 E. Breitung Ave. in Kingsford. (Terri Castelaz/Daily News photo)

“Cancer patients have full use of the equipment for as long as they need it, but for non-cancer folks, they’re still allowed to use the equipment, but they have to bring it back after six month with no extensions,” Schabo explained. “It’s mainly because we’re trying to help as many people as we can.”

Help is given to anyone with need, with no income restrictions.

In addition, they will provide $500 a year to assist with prescriptions through The Drug Store in Iron Mountain and Norway Pharmacy and up to $750 a year for gas mileage for out-of-town cancer-related physician appointments.

They also offer two cases of Ensure or three packages of incontinence supplies per month. Clients can use their prescription money as well to purchase a wig through Salon 323. They also have a number of wigs on site.

The organization has about 26 volunteers, which fluctuates during the winter months. Schabo said she has been volunteering since 2010.

“It was really a fluke. My husband was really sick in 2009 — in fact, he passed away in 2009. He needed a wheelchair and the hospital said, ‘Check with the cancer loan closet.’ I had no clue what that was. I never heard of it.”

She stopped in to get the wheelchair and, after her husband’s death in December 2009, she decided, “I would like to volunteer, even though being anywhere around sick people is not my thing. It sure turned out to be.”

Schabo became president three years ago.

“Almost all of our volunteers have had some kind of encounter with cancer, either themselves or a family member or friends,” she said, adding that she has had thyroid cancer.

“It seems like all of us can relate to these people in some way, which is a big help, and now it’s gotten where our group, it’s like a family,” Schabo said. “Most have been here a long time. It seems like once someone starts up with us, they stay with us.”

Luba continues to volunteer at age 93 and another volunteer is 91. Schabo calls them her “energizer bunnies.”

One volunteer told her “they feel like their life is worth something.”

Volunteers work in pairs and take two-hour shifts during the week. The loan closet is open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Vi Axberg has been volunteering for about seven years, after she had breast cancer. “It’s been like my family since I was diagnosed, and I wanted to show my appreciation,” Axberg said.

The organization no local, state for federal funds, so relies on donations from the public and local businesses.

A few years ago, they were selected by 100-Plus Women Who Care of Dickinson County to receive about $22,000.

“What we did with that was establish what we call a catastrophic fund,” she said. The money is used to help people who are facing a catastrophic financial need, such as losing their home because they can’t make a mortgage payment. This is decided by the seven-person board.

They also have an advisory board made up members of the community, including a pastor and an attorney. They provide assistance for things the board can’t do.

This year and last year were difficult because of the COVID-19 situation.

“COVID hurt our numbers. It hurt the folks because they couldn’t come in at first and it hurt our fundraising because a lot of the things that we really counted on, like the half-marathon, which was probably our biggest fundraiser, didn’t happen,” Schabo said.

Many of the other fundraisers they have are on hold as well until coronavirus crisis passes.

But the Dairy Queen restaurant in Kingsford is donating a percentage of money from Tuesday sales. They also recently received a donation from IncredibleBank.

“Our businesses too have been really supportive of us, which is amazing,” Schabo said.

Community support has been strong as well, she said. They have had children come in with $200 to $300 from bake sales and some local sports teams have special nights to raise money for the loan closet.

“I can’t really say too many good things about our area because you find there are not cancer loan closets like us,” she said.

To contact the Dickinson County Cancer Unit Loan Closet, call 906-776-0966 or email to dickinsoncancer@att.net.