Disasters Inspire Generosity

When hurricanes Katrina and Rita struck the U.S. Gulf Coast this fall, people in the jan/san industry donated supplies, money and time to the relief efforts.

In San Antonio where I live (about 150 miles from the Gulf of Mexico) we sheltered thousands of evacuees (and many of their pets, including a Chihuahua in a birdcage) from the hurricanes.

In my free time, I was a Red Cross volunteer at two of the hurricane evacuation shelters. Each facility housed around 3,000 people. They slept on wall-to-wall cots. The shelters were so densely populated that the potential for disease seemed just one dirty hand or uncovered sneeze away. The Centers for Disease Control even had discreetly placed crisis-management personnel in the shelters.

My involvement in the shelter made me personally grateful for the contributions from our industry. Among the donors to the relief efforts was T&G Chemical and Supply, a Waco, Texas, distributor. According to Marc George, T&G’s vice president, “We sent party packs (silverware, napkins, salt and pepper), plates and cups, toilet paper, paper towels and even some red bio-hazard bags.”

The folks in Waco filled an 18-wheeler with donations, including two pallets from T&G. The Waco truck went to Mississippi. “The shipment from our town was organized by a single volunteer,” Marc said. “She enthusiastically got the goods, the truck and even the drivers’ time donated, but she knew nothing about loading a trailer, not to mention that she wasn’t aware of the legal weight load restrictions.” Luckily, the truck from Waco squeaked in under the weight limit.

Canadian distributor Reliable Maintenance Products of Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, also donated two pallets of supplies to the relief efforts. Robert Bertuzzi, Reliable’s vice president, said his company sent disinfectants, toilet paper, paper towels, plastic bags and cleaners as part of a full truckload of Canadian donations that ended up in Louisiana, more than 1,400 miles away.

“You send the donations and hope they’re used appropriately,” Robert said. “To actually be there and see how the stuff is used would be nice.”

I can tell you from personal experience that the donations from our industry were mission-critical supplies. The shelters’ bathrooms presented one of the biggest challenges: germs. A CDC team member told me that just 50 percent of the shelter residents washed their hands after using the toilet. When I heard that, I doubled my use of hand sanitizer.

To me, the most sobering vision was the sick bay that was set up in the shelter, separated from the other cots by a row of old office partitions. People with mental disabilities, amputations and chronic illnesses were tended to in that area, where disposable gloves and disinfectants were put to good use.

In contrast to the vision of the sick bay is that of one of the happier events: the 19 weddings that took place in one of our Hurricane Katrina shelters. From among the donated clothes, the brides found white dresses and the grooms found suits. The ceremonies were presided over by a National Guard chaplain. Volunteers brought wedding cakes and flowers.

The next time you answer a call for donations in the midst of a national disaster, remember that the toilet paper, hand cleaners, mops, and even that blue pin-striped suit you don’t wear any more — it can all make a big difference in the lives of some very needy people.

Gretchen Roufs, an 18-year janitorial supply industry veteran, owns Auxiliary Marketing Services of San Antonio. To suggest someone you think should be featured in “freetime,” contact her at (210) 601-4572 or GretchenRoufs@aol.com.