More help is coming in from several places. I'm traveling north this week, starting in New Hampshire on Monday, to collect donated items, mostly furniture. My aunt and uncle are giving me dressers, bedroom sets, a dining table, sofas, love seats and many other smaller household things. We're going to load up a UHaul, and then I'm going to head south, stopping in Springfield, Mass, where a friend is going to give me a car load of items. Then it's on to New York, to meet up with Erin Donovan, another volunteer with whom I've started the St. Bernard Recovery Corp., a non-profit geared towards assisting individuals and families in St. Bernard Parish. Erin has gathered a lot of things from family and friends, including more furniture. By this point, I expect the UHaul to be full, and Erin and I are then going to hit the road for New Orleans. All of this stuff is going to go to families in need, who are moving or will soon be moving back into their homes. It's exciting, and I can't wait to share what people are so willing to give with the people down here in the New Orleans area.
As we work to get SBRC up and running, I continue to be amazed at how much people want to help. I'll have more coming on SBRC, what we'll be doing, what we're all about and how you can help. We will also have a web site which will do the same. For me, this road trip is another piece to the start of what I hope is a lasting and regular resource for people who just need some help, and some hope. It'll be a hectic few days, as we have to be back in New Orleans by Thursday night so that we can unload the truck on Friday, but it's going to be very worth it. And hey, if you have household goods or furniture that can be donated, you never know, we might be able to find a way to get it here. There's always a way! People like Ann and Lawrence below can use it.
Pic of the Day
My brother Chris, my Uncle Vince (as Irish as Irish gets Uncle Vince) and myself moving what had to be the single heaviest piece of furniture I have lifted since I started this venture. I'm not even sure this photo does that thing justice. I mean, it weighed a ton. And this was the easy part. The next day, Chris and I were by ourselves unloading the furniture we collected over two days to put into storage, and it was just the two of us getting this thing down and off the truck. Nightmare. We both agreed afterwards we were lucky to not have any broken bones or be in traction. Whatever family gets this when I get back to St. Bernard Parish next month is going to hear a story, as well as a few scratches to see. Sorry, Aunt Jane.
