I worked with an awesome team today. Together we sorted hundreds of pairs of shoes and prepared them for delivery to those in need. I hope to return and continue helping as I'm able to.
The store is looking well organized and stocked. It could use some more donations of laundry detergent, sanitizing spray cleaners (Lysol/Clorox, etc.), full size shampoos and body washes, body lotions, hairbrushes, and bottled electrolyte drinks (Gatorade, etc.)
I was pleased to see more organization at the store. It would be nice if there was better air conditioning in the store tent. Volunteers do a lot of moving around in and out of the store. Also, impacted community members come in who are hot and tired.
Helping in the store kept me busy and I was happy to see more families come in to take food and supplies. Donations dropped off were chaotic at times, as we couldn't get the items organized and placed, due to customers going through them at the same time, directly in front of the store's main entrance. I did notice that some folks may have taken more than they needed at the time. Maybe better communication and guidance would help ensure there's enough supplies for all families that come, especially with the higher priced items that are in higher demand. Also, I would suggest that zone leaders check on the store workers frequently to ensure everyone is remembering to stay hydrated and to get snacks and meals.
Stephen did very well with the training. He was clear and concise. The information provided was informative and helpful. I would have liked to hear more about the process of the funding for ADRN, if any, and how that all starts and trickles down, and is disbursed.
It's awesome seeing all the volunteers and donations. However, in the 2 days I've been to the supply store, I've seen very few flood victims come to the store to obtain supplies. It seems like possibly the word is not getting out to the community so they know to come get supplies. I hope ADRN can come up with ideas to communicate to the citizens in the area to go to the store and get supplies. If the citizens are not capable or not comfortable going to the command center site, maybe volunteers can take supplies directly to the residents. It's disheartening to spend the day at the store and only see a few citizens come in, especially when there is such a large stock of food and supplies ready for the taking.
