We put out the word and they turned out in droves. In what can only be described as a holiday miracle, nearly three dozen volunteers and benefactors pitched in to pack and move the Italian American Veterans Museum from Dec. 26-28. The distance travelled was negligible — from the top floor of the Office Center to a building across the grounds — but the effort was truly herculean.

More than 100 carefully packed boxes, scores of tables and chairs, and dozens of odd-sized items, some of them weighing more than 300 pounds, made the short journey via a steady stream of bright red carts pulled by willing-and-able workers. Several of the volunteers were also deployed to box and move Fra Noi’s archives and help the Casa consolidate its operations in the Cultural Center.