Home Delivery

Today was an exciting day. Lots happened, but one thing in particular made it extra special. I made the first 'official' delivery as the St. Bernard Recovery Corporation, taking a mattress and box spring that was part of the truckload of things my SBRC partner (Erin Donovan) and I drove down from the Northeast two weeks ago to the home of Michael and Linda Pelletier.

I met Michael and Linda just last Friday after a social worker from Louisiana Spirit contacted us, to see if we had a bed we could provide. They've been sleeping on FEMA mattresses, on the floor, for two years now. They told me how many nights one of them will move to the couch or the other room because it's just so uncomfortable. The couple lost everything in Katrina, and are now living in a modular home that was donated by Rev. Billy Graham. It's pretty nice, they keep it very clean, and they complained about very little. They truly seemed grateful when I met them on Friday for all that they had, including the home (which is light years better than a FEMA Trailer). One of the very few things they did complain about, though, was their sleeping situation.

I think we're going to help make it better, though.

“We really appreciate it,” said Michael Pelletier. “Linda’s been laying on a FEMA mattress. It’s been uncomfortable for her. We’ve been sleeping on the floor for two years. If you can’t sleep well, it stresses you out even more.”

I talked to them later in the day, just to check in and see how they were doing, and they were raving about the new bed.

“It’s a very nice mattress,” added Michael. “I laid on it before, and I didn’t want to get up”.

Said Linda:“I told Mike, don’t wake me up tomorrow."

This little blurb, by the way, is all part of my new mindset. It's been an adjustment going from a volunteer who was working for other organizations and just going about his business, to one who has started a non-profit. I was never really comfortable talking about myself or what I was doing. I was definitely all about talking about St. Bernard Parish, and helping to raise awareness about what's going on here, but I struggled or felt guilty if I had to talk about myself and what I was doing.

That's all had to change now, though. If I want St. Bernard Recovery Corp. to be successful, I need to talk it up, and talk up what we're doing. The people that I want to help aren't going to get that assistance if I don't think about PR. It hasn't been easy, but I'm getting there. We're going to submit a press release and pics from this morning to some local papers, and start putting together a media kit of what we're doing so that when we go to potential donors and companies, and apply for grants, we can show what we've done, and have that added credibility.

I won't be blogging about every delivery or accomplishment, but this is good practice to get in that frame of mind. So bear with me as I drop out stories like this here and there. And besides, it's probably a good thing anyway. Michael and Linda are great people, and it's good that some people get to see into their lives a bit.