Abbeville shelter 'Going strong'

The distribution center at the old Stage store in Abbeville opened Wednesday afternoon with the goal of meeting the needs of those affected by last weekend’s historic flooding.
That has happened, on a greater scale than anyone could have imagined.
“We opened Wednesday at 1 p.m.,” Volunteer Kelly Mire said. “Within three-and-a-half hours, we had served more than 1,000 families.
“We ran out of everything except for water.”
Around 800 families came trough on Thursday afternoon. Mire said he expected hundreds more to be served on Friday.
The center, located in Tiffany Plaza off the By-Pass, is distributing household cleaning supplies, personal hygiene products and water. Families who had water inside their homes can pick up items from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. People picking up items must have identification and live in an area where water went inside the homes.
“You have to have water inside your house,” Mire said. “Not water in the yard, in your house.”
Mire stressed that the rule is in place for no other reason than to preserve items for those most affected.
“We have a limited amount of supplies,” Mire said. “We are trying to keep it for the people who had water in their house.”
Pastor Lane Payne of New Life Church in Abbeville and head of the
Vermilion Faith Community of Care is helping to organize the center under the umbrella of the Vermilion Parish Police Jury and Office of Emergency Preparedness. Vermilion Clerk of Court Diane Meaux Broussard is serving in a leadership role at the site.
“This is working out great,” Broussard said. “Pastor Lane Payne and all of the volunteers have done an awesome job.
“I am so proud of all of the people who have volunteered.”
That also goes for those who have donated items. Super 1 Foods, which shares a parking lot with the Stage facility, has donated 460 gallons of water as well as providing plastic bags. Lowe’s donated more than $1,000 worth of water and cleaning supplies and buckets to create cleaning kits.
“A lot of regular people have come to donate,” Mire said. “They had their trucks and trailers full.”
Even as thousands of families have been helped, donations are still needed. Items can be dropped off at the distribution center.
“Cleaning supplies and personal hygiene products,” Mire said. “Those are the most important things.”
The center is not looking for clothing. It did receive several such donations and allowed people who lost clothes to come in early on Friday.
“We weren’t really looking for clothes,” Mire said. “We took some because we had people come from Texas, Lake Charles and north Louisiana. They drove so far, we weren’t going to tell them no.”
The effort has been driven by the work of volunteers. More than 100 volunteers stayed busy bagging items inside the old store on Friday morning.
“A lot of them were affected by the floods,” Mire said. “We had one guy come in on Thursday who was flooded. He told us he had about an hour and a half to give us. That guy did not stop for an hour and a half.
“He went back to his house and finished cutting out his walls.”
Broussard said the volunteers have certainly answered the call.
“They have done an awesome job,” Broussard said. “We have people from 80 years old down to some school kids helping out.”
The work speaks to what this parish and Acadiana is about, Broussard said proudly.
“It shows their character,” she said. “A lot of them who are working today are flooded. They said they can’t go back home, so they would just as soon help other people.
“It’s amazing and it shows that we are going to come back stronger.”