A Bit of Everything Needed from Lafayette Goodwill
Lynn Myers, a clerk and processor for Goodwill Industries of Acadiana
(Lafayette, LA) realized the importance of her role in providing
clothing and other necessities to storm evacuees when she encountered
the woman eyeing the silver frame.
"I asked her if she liked it, and she said she did," said Myers on September 16. "I said, if it makes you happy, then take it."
Myers' overture was possible because of the Goodwill's Free Store, open
since September 2 for the thousands of storm evacuees staying in this
south Louisiana city. By brandishing one form of identification, a
storm evacuee can browse through the store and get two pairs of shoes,
one set of bedding and as many clothes, toiletries and household goods
as he or she may need -- all at no cost.
Since Hurricane Katrina barreled onto the Gulf Coast exactly three
weeks ago, the Lafayette Goodwill has given out some 60,000 articles of
clothing to evacuees at both its Free Store and five other retail
locations, said Joel Vincent , the Goodwill's Director of Retail. The
Goodwill has also given 80 percent of its stock of school uniforms to
local school baords and provided students with school supplies.
Early on, the Goodwill chose to focus on school-age children and people
with special needs who had evacuated from New Orleans, said Goodwill
CEO Sandy Purgahn. But when the needs of evacuees staying at the
Cajundome -- one of the region's premiere concert venues -- became
evident, the Goodwill expanded its services to all evacuees. Its
headquarters and at least one other store were within just a few blocks
from the shelter.
"We acted as the broker," said Purgahn, whose staff has worked, in some
cases, for three weeks straight. "Shelters would ask and we would make
the appeal."
Their calls for donations were quickly answered by the public and the
Goodwill movement. J.M. Murray Center in Cortland, NY, sent the Goodwill 70 cases of
toothpaste and toothbrushes. Wal-Mart donated thousands of new socks
and undergarments. and individuals and groups from as far away as Los
Angeles, CA, have sent trailers and boxes full of goods, many of which
were stacked up halfway to the ceiling of the headquarters' covered
drive-through bay on September 16.
Some of the goods are going to people with special needs who are
staying in an American Red Cross-organized shelter at the Heymann
Center for Performing Arts, according to local news reports. But
Purgahn is hoping to consolidate all the goods, clothing, medical
supplies, governmental resources and other information in a one-stop
shop that will open next week for 90 days.
Funded with a $61,000 cash grant from BP, the center will consolidate
the agency's Free Store, make available multiple services in one place
and act as a goods processing center.
Hugh Depland, BP's General Manager of Public Affairs for the Gulf Coast
and the Rockies, said his company employs 510 people in Louisiana and
about double that in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama combined. The
grant, he said, is a gesture made on behalf of BP's workforce.
All told, the grant is is part of a $10 million corporate commitment BP
is making toward Hurricane Katrina efforts, Depland said. And that
doesn't include employee donations, which the company will match up to
$1 million.
"It's an issue of our local employees coming to me and saying, 'This is one we feel we should contribute to,'" Depland said.
The Goodwill has also received financial aid from members of Rotary
Club South -- of which Purgahn is a past president -- and member
Goodwills, both individually and through the GII Hurricane Relief Fund.
In addition to the Free Store and collection and distribution of goods,
the Goodwill has performed a hodgepodge of other services over the past
three weeks -- adopting the local special needs shelter, finding more
permanent housing for people with special needs, performing case
management work and counseling and placing people in jobs. Purghan said
she is currently unsure how many storm evacuees have been placed in
employment.
"It was like being in a war zone," she said. "In the last three days, it has settled down."
The Goodwill has also hired two people from Goodwill Industries of
Southeastern Louisiana (New Orleans), including Kevin Smith, who will
work with young adults displaced by Hurricane Katrina in determining
their employment and other needs, said Joy Miguez , the Goodwill's Vice
President of Human Services.
The other employee, Kristina Hopkins, is now working as a sorter for
the Lafayette Goodwill. A former assistant manager of the Esplanade
store in Kenner, Hopkins, her husband, and their 6-and 9-year-old
daughters took10 hours to drive to Lafayette on August 28, usually a
two-hour trip.
"I called Goodwill on Wednesday [August 31] and they told me I could
start working the next day," said Hopkins, who turned 30 over the
weekend. "They gave me clothes and they gave my family clothes. They
gave me an advance on my paycheck."
"They really helped."
As her Goodwill continues serving storm evacuees in her community,
Purgahn knows she has challenges before her. The Goodwill is $70,000
behind in retail sales this month, but she stands behind her team's
decision to open the Free Store and give away two sets of clothing to
each storm evacuee with identification at other retail locations.
"It was our decision that the first thing we needed to do was respond
to human need -- shelter and clothing," Purgahn said. "Although our
primary focus is giving people a hand up, we flet like [that] was
critical."
"So many of the people are just now recognizing that they will not go
home," she said. "If I had started cramming jobs down their throat,
then I don't think Goodwill would have been a good steward."
Purgahn said her agency does not plan to hold a job fair, because
economic development and university officials have already been given
that task. A week from now and even months from now, she sees case
management as being the true skill her staff can share with evacuees.
"Goodwill has the capability of being a safety net because we can pull
resources together because we are not limited," Purgahn said.
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