Pictured: Connie Lander, organizer, Dennis, driver, and Kathy Bonaventura, Director, Volunteer Center, load the truck with donated supplies for the victims of the Indiana floods.

Indiana Flood Disaster Relief

In June, the United Way Regional Volunteer Center was responsible for operating the Indiana Storm Helpline for those victims of the floods and tornadoes that hit Central and Southern Indiana. Americorps members and community volunteers manned the phones, 12 hours per day, 7 days a week. After the Call Center was closed, Connie Lander, one of the volunteers, decided there was more that NWI could do to help the people in the 26 counties that were declared disasters. While working the phones she learned that a central warehouse in Indianapolis had been set up to receive all supplies that were sent out daily to the affected counties and she had the list of the items that were most needed. Armed with this information she approached ReFax, her employer, who provided a truck to take donated supplies down to the warehouse and she called the Volunteer Center to help her get the information out to the public. Drop off locations were set up at the United Way of Porter Co., the Fire Station in Crown Point, and at ReFax in Gary and thanks to the generosity of ReFax, Strack & VanTil’s, Emerson, many Churches and individuals, Connie was able to fill the truck with all of the needed supplies for the flood victims.