A couple received an anonymous note calling their unpainted house an 'eyesore,' then they received over $48,000 to help with repairs

• Jimmy and Marilyn Curcuru received an anonymous note last month shaming them for their unpainted house and calling it an "eyesore."
• Marilyn has multiple sclerosis and is bedridden, and Jimmy had a heart attack and quadruple bypass surgery in 2006 and developed kidney problems, his daughter told CNN.
• Since the note was posted on Facebook in late July, the couple has received more than $48,000 in donations for repairs.

When Jimmy Curcuru received an anonymous note in his mailbox in July shaming him for his unpainted house, he was "very upset" because the person "didn't have the nerve to sign it," he told CNN.

Curcuru, 71, and his wife, Marilyn, 72, have lived in the home in Gloucester, Massachusetts, for 50 years. He said they'd been unable to keep up with repairs because of health and employment issues.

Jimmy had a heart attack and quadruple bypass surgery in 2006, after which he developed kidney problems, his daughter told CNN. Marilyn has multiple sclerosis and has been bedridden for about four years, he told The Washington Post.Advertisement

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"I used to enjoy working on the house when I could, but now it's hard for me to do it," Jimmy told The Post. "It's not a good idea for me any more to get up on a ladder."

Jimmy, whose framing business was closed years ago, retired from his part-time job at a hardware store two months ago so he could spend more time with his wife, he told CNN.

When Jimmy's daughter, Michelle Curcuru Baran, heard about the note, she posted it on Facebook. "To my concerned neighbor, thank you for letting me know my house needs to be painted," she wrote in late July. "Guess what? I know. I've been working on it for almost four years.

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"I myself always drive by houses that look like mine and wonder what's up in their lives," she added. "I don't judge them not knowing what they may be going through."

A GoFundMe page has raised more than $48,000, more than half the goal

Right away, people offered to paint the house, and even the mayor asked how she could pitch in, CNN said. A GoFundMe page had more than $48,000 in donations as of Sunday afternoon. The page's organizer, Robert Cluett, a neighbor, said its goal was $82,620.Advertisement

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The money will pay for the paint job, new windows, and fixes to the leaky roof and rotted siding, Baran told CNN.

Donors commented on why giving their money to the couple for their home is meaningful.

"I donated because we could all use a little more kindness!" one person wrote.Advertisement

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"Dear Jimmy and Marilyn, good neighbors are everywhere," another donor said. "The real eyesore is the pathetic, ignorant, cowardly neighbor that left the note. I wish you all the best. Peace."

In an update on Thursday, Cluett expressed gratitude on behalf of the Curcurus.

"Thanks so much to each and every one of you who felt compelled to help this family," he wrote. "That is all of you who have donated from $5 - $5,000. The family feels blessed and knows that amidst these uncertain times that giving any amount comes from those with a truly loving and charitable heart.Advertisement

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"It has been proven once again that there are more good people in this world than bad. WE LOVE YOU!"

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