NewsUpper SchoolStudent LifeFaculty/StaffService
Braden and crew deliver $55,000 in supplies to Gulf
Sep 14, 2005 11:00 AM
By Tannika King - Faculty
When Doug Braden (’87) received a call from fellow graduate and friend Steve Brewster the Sunday after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast, they both agreed that they could not just sit back and watch the devastation. They needed to do something.
The two began making calls, and an hour and a half later, they had raised over $13,000 from individuals, many of whom were Darlington alumni, parents or friends. Then, Vend Rite owner Mark Sidwell, a day parent, donated nearly $10,000 worth of supplies and sold them another $9,000 in supplies at cost.
“We ended up carrying – on-the-street value – close to $55,000 in supplies,” said Braden, ARAMARK operations manager. “We completely filled a tractor trailer and a 16-foot trailer.”
Supplies included 21,000 bottles of water; 47,000 packets of crackers; 25,000 bags of chips; one pallet of Clorox wipes; every broom, mop, tent and cot that Sam’s Club had for sale; 40 cases of diapers; 50 gallons of baby formula, 50 boxes of trash bags; one pallet of dog food; 40 trash cans; and 600 health kits, which included Tylenol, toothpaste, one toothbrush, bandages, soap and a washcloth.
Braden, Brewster and Howard Lewis, a driver from Bagby Transfer, and his wife, Alison, set off for Bayou La Batre, Ala., at 5:30 a.m. on Labor Day, arriving around 1 p.m. Even with the impending threat of Hurricane Katrina, the small shrimping town was never evacuated, and was receiving very little help except from individuals and churches.
“When we first got there, we did not think the area had been hit all that hard, but after we unloaded our supplies, we drove around the town and realized what they had gone through,” said Braden. “We delivered diapers, baby formula, water and Tylenol from door to door. Everyone we came into contact with was just overwhelmed that we were there; they all wanted to tell us their survival stories.
“One of the families invited us in and showed us their home and what they were doing on a day-to-day basis. They had six kids. The house still had water in a couple of the rooms,” he continued. “The family had taken everything they owned and put it on the street to be thrown away. Six or seven feet of sea water had sat in their house for about three days. They were all sharing one blanket to sleep on, taking their baths in the ocean and sharing one towel. Remarkably, they were still very upbeat.”
Braden has challenged Darlington students to volunteer man hours locally, at RomeKares, or on the weekends in Alabama and Mississippi.
“If I could send a message to others who want to know how they can help, it would be that these areas need supplies and money, but they also need volunteers,” Braden said. “I came out of my comfort zone to do this, and I am so glad that I had to the chance to do it.”
He and his wife, Penny, and two parent chaperones took a group of 32 students volunteers to Pascagoula, Miss., the weekend of Sept. 17 to help with relief efforts. On Oct. 20, he and Jill Pate, director of personal counseling and “Y” Cabinet adviser, will return with a group of “Y” Cabinet members and community service liaisons.
“The student body is going to buy the supplies, which will include linens, undergarments and pajamas, school supplies, personal care items, toys and infant products,” said Braden. “We are going to stay two or three days and be hands-on to whatever the Pascagoula community needs at that time. I hope the students who go on these trips will understand a little of what several of our Darlington students and their families went through in Mississippi and Louisiana.”
The two began making calls, and an hour and a half later, they had raised over $13,000 from individuals, many of whom were Darlington alumni, parents or friends. Then, Vend Rite owner Mark Sidwell, a day parent, donated nearly $10,000 worth of supplies and sold them another $9,000 in supplies at cost.
“We ended up carrying – on-the-street value – close to $55,000 in supplies,” said Braden, ARAMARK operations manager. “We completely filled a tractor trailer and a 16-foot trailer.”
Supplies included 21,000 bottles of water; 47,000 packets of crackers; 25,000 bags of chips; one pallet of Clorox wipes; every broom, mop, tent and cot that Sam’s Club had for sale; 40 cases of diapers; 50 gallons of baby formula, 50 boxes of trash bags; one pallet of dog food; 40 trash cans; and 600 health kits, which included Tylenol, toothpaste, one toothbrush, bandages, soap and a washcloth.
Braden, Brewster and Howard Lewis, a driver from Bagby Transfer, and his wife, Alison, set off for Bayou La Batre, Ala., at 5:30 a.m. on Labor Day, arriving around 1 p.m. Even with the impending threat of Hurricane Katrina, the small shrimping town was never evacuated, and was receiving very little help except from individuals and churches.
“When we first got there, we did not think the area had been hit all that hard, but after we unloaded our supplies, we drove around the town and realized what they had gone through,” said Braden. “We delivered diapers, baby formula, water and Tylenol from door to door. Everyone we came into contact with was just overwhelmed that we were there; they all wanted to tell us their survival stories.
“One of the families invited us in and showed us their home and what they were doing on a day-to-day basis. They had six kids. The house still had water in a couple of the rooms,” he continued. “The family had taken everything they owned and put it on the street to be thrown away. Six or seven feet of sea water had sat in their house for about three days. They were all sharing one blanket to sleep on, taking their baths in the ocean and sharing one towel. Remarkably, they were still very upbeat.”
Braden has challenged Darlington students to volunteer man hours locally, at RomeKares, or on the weekends in Alabama and Mississippi.
“If I could send a message to others who want to know how they can help, it would be that these areas need supplies and money, but they also need volunteers,” Braden said. “I came out of my comfort zone to do this, and I am so glad that I had to the chance to do it.”
He and his wife, Penny, and two parent chaperones took a group of 32 students volunteers to Pascagoula, Miss., the weekend of Sept. 17 to help with relief efforts. On Oct. 20, he and Jill Pate, director of personal counseling and “Y” Cabinet adviser, will return with a group of “Y” Cabinet members and community service liaisons.
“The student body is going to buy the supplies, which will include linens, undergarments and pajamas, school supplies, personal care items, toys and infant products,” said Braden. “We are going to stay two or three days and be hands-on to whatever the Pascagoula community needs at that time. I hope the students who go on these trips will understand a little of what several of our Darlington students and their families went through in Mississippi and Louisiana.”
