The History of The Well: Origin Story Part II
The Well helped to restore almost 100 homes to habitable condition, all with a volunteer workforce from across the region
As a fledgling organization, The Living Well continued to grow its client base and expand its operations when the 2014 major flood cemented The Well as the go-to organization to meet community needs.
Homes and businesses were destroyed in a matter of hours as Penn Yan and the surrounding communities were inundated with floodwaters. By early morning much of Penn Yan including The Living Well were underwater. Pastor Sandi and her volunteers organized an operation in a local bank lobby to feed the hundreds of volunteers working to salvage the contents of flooded businesses and homes.
Local businesses and The Well volunteers donated food and water. Volunteers moved the contents of the emergency food pantry and dry goods pantry from The Well and launched a large-scale relief operation at a local church. When news of the disaster spread, thousands of people came to Penn Yan in hopes of lending a hand and The Well took on the task of a large-scale volunteer deployment operation. Agreements with The Salvation Army, Catholic Charities, and several hardware stores were secured to provide clean-up supplies and tools for the volunteer clean-up efforts.
Within days of the flood, The Well became the hotline for homeowners needing salvage assistance and ran a disaster response operation out of the United Methodist Church for 5 weeks, matching homeowner needs with volunteers and supplies and deploying resources throughout the county. Furniture and clothing began pouring in and without space to accommodate; The Well collaborated with a Southern Baptist Church Ministry in Penn Yan known as The Haven, to store and disseminate these donations.
When immediate needs were met, The Well partnered with the Keuka Housing Council, the Yates County housing authority, to address salvage of damaged homes and as well as the 15 families left homeless. The Council coordinated government resources and secured grant monies, and The Well and its volunteers took on the task of rebuilding homes that were not condemned. The Well recruited an experienced, volunteer Project Manager to coordinate the rebuilding efforts and spent over $166,000 in community donations to restore habitable homes. From mold remediation to installation of drywall, to the purchase and installation of furnaces and hot water tanks, The Well helped to restore almost 100 homes to habitable condition, all with a volunteer workforce from across the region. To supplement this effort, Catholic Charities donated a skilled Case Manager to assist families with needs beyond rebuilding and restoration as financial hardship was encountered by individuals and families affected by the flood.
Check back on March 22nd to learn about post-flood initiatives and how The Well began to establish itself in the Yates County community.
This week’s collection need: floss, toothbrush, and toothpaste
Upcoming event:
February 18 - 25: collection for National Children's Dental Health Month
February 22 - April 9: Lent Donation Calendar
March 6: Community Reads Event at St. Mark’s Terrace at 4pm
March 8: Community Reads Event at Penn Yan Public Library at 7pm
March 13: Community Reads Event at St. Mark’s Terrace at 4pm
March 15: Bereavement Support Group at 5pm
March 16: Cancer Care Group at 5pm
Volunteer Opportunities:
Snack Shack - weekly, after school
March 11 - Fairy Tale Festival
Paul’s Place - once a month commitment