BIDDEFORD — Rotarians from about six or so different clubs joined together Thursday night to sort through and wrap some of the thousands of mobility aids that have been collected for Crutches 4 Africa.

“Did you see Mount Walker?” joked Saco Bay Sunset Rotarian Dennis Robillard, referring to a massive pile of walkers that are stored, along with crutches, wheel chairs, and other mobility aids in a warehouse at Gooch Street in Biddeford.

Robillard said though to some it may seem like “medical waste” these are items that can make a huge difference to someone in a developing country.

“These literally save people’s lives,” he said.

Crutches 4 Africa is an organization that distributes used mobility aids to countries in Africa and elsewhere. It was founded in 2006 by David Talbot, a film maker from Colorado. Talbot was filming a documentary in Uganda in 2005 where he saw a woman, her leg twisted behind her back from polio, her foot touching her shoulder, using a fresh tree branch for a crutch. Talbot, himself a polio survivor, couldn’t get this image out of his mind.

Talbot met other polio survivors on his trip, many shunned by their community.

Talbot got the idea to collect used crutches and other mobility aids – items that often collect dust in people’s attics or garages after being used after an operation or injury.

Since its inception, Crutches 4 Africa has distributed more than 104,000 mobility devices to 16 countries in Africa and 10 countries outside Africa.

With the help of a pair of crutches or a walker, someone who was once shunned can become a productive member of their community.

Robillard began collecting items for Crutches 4 Africa in 2011, establishing a number of local collection sites including Saco City Hall and Old Orchard Beach Town Hall.

The effort has since snowballed, with many rotary clubs joining in on the collecting items and several shipments of items sent overseas.

Thursday night, a number of rotarians were working together at the Gooch Street warehouse to pack the next load which will be shipped off to Africa next month.

Saco Bay Sunset President Bob LePauloue said he enjoyed being part of the local Crutches 4 Africa collection effort. He said he liked the collaborative nature of the endeavor and the global impact of the project.

— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 325 or egotthelf@journaltribune.com.