Lending a Helping Hand

On Monday, 5/21/07, ten volunteers (5 staff and 5 individuals) from the Wahpeton program traveled to Aberdeen, SD, to help clean up after a recent storm dumped 9 inches of rain on a city that does not have a history of flooding. They had prepared the previous Friday by getting Tetanus shots and picking up supplies donated free or at cost from Farm City Supply in Breckenridge, MN (boots, gloves, etc). They checked in at the Methodist Church coordinating the volunteer effort and were provided with face masks, large bottles of water, gloves, and maps (even hazmat suits were available....one of the individuals chose to wear one throughout the morning).

They were assigned to help a homeowner whose fully finished basement had flooded. The musty smell was strong, but they dug right in. They ripped out walls, sheetrock, shelves, almost all of the woodwork and some fixtures that could not be salvaged. It was hard work, but with the 10 of them, it went very well. The basement windows were removed, which helped with air circulation. It also gave them a way to pass the debris out, rather than going up the stairs and through the porch. Everyone was busy for hours and worked very hard. There was a big pile of debris on the boulevard when they were done. Only the studs of the dividing walls remained when they were finished.

They took a lunch break at the Salvation Army center. They provided a free meal to all the volunteers. People noticed their RRHSF t-shirts, and asked where they were from. People were astounded to hear that they had made the 2.5 hour trip to help out and thanked them for doing so. After lunch, they returned to the house and finished clearing out the basement.

Before leaving Aberdeen for Wahpeton, they enjoyed a Dairy Queen treat with the homeowner. They felt good about being able to help someone and knew their work was appreciated.

Everyone is a bit sore today, but are so happy with the job they did to help this homeowner.