St. Martin's Flood Recovery Needs YOUR Help!

The storms of early June sent flood waters rushing into over 2700 homes in Morgan County. Some of the damage has been fixed, but as of September 25, over one third of the residents are still not back in their homes. The disasters in other areas of the country that were caused by Hurricanes Gustov and Ike are major, and we realize that most of the Volunteers from around the country are concentrating their efforts there and our prayers are certainly with those effected.

Meanwhile, this small, rural community in central Indiana has been left behind. We cannot get these families back into their homes without the help of Volunteers. Winter is only a short time away. We are calling upon the residents of Indiana and surrounding states who would like to Volunteer to help families effected by disaster, but due to travel expenses, cannot go far.

Make it a day, a weekend or a whole week - ask a few friends to join you, give us a call. You will be rewarded by knowing that you have helped a family who was effected by the floods to get back into their home before the cold weather sets in.

Here are the major obstacles that we are facing……  

1.Volunteers – Right now, we are still removing debris from homes, especially basements, as well as gutting houses (tearing out dry wall, etc.). We are also reconstructing many homes and are in great need of carpenters, electricians, plumbers, dry wall installers and finishers, etc. If you are a licensed or skilled professional, that is great, but we do not require great experience. If you have ever done home repairs or remodeling, you can help a home-owner get back into their house before winter. All you need to do is go to the Work Crew Sign Up page and fill out the information. When you press submit, it will send an e-mail to us at St. Martins so that we can schedule the appropriate work for you and your group. Please, prayerfully consider your time, treasure and talents, then pick a date, call a few friends, and sign up. 

2.Building Materials – Even though many have finally received insurance or grant monies to help rebuild, quite often the dollars just do not stretch far enough. Not only can the residents not afford to hire the work done (which is where you, as Volunteers, make the difference), but often there is not enough money to purchase materials to finish the home. And, of course, those who did not receive insurance or grant money, for whatever reason, need plenty of help. Meanwhile a house sits half finished. HERE’S HOW YOU CAN HELP  

A. Gift Cards – Purchasing gift cards for Lowe’s or Wal-Mart. 

Send these cards to:

St. Martin's Flood Recovery

1709 E. Harrison St.

Martinsville, IN 46151

St. Martin's Flood Recovery will use these cards on an “as needed” basis to purchase building materials for the homes that the Volunteers are working on. Lowe’s has the best selection of building materials, so that would be the preference, but Home Depot does carry a selection of plumbing and electrical supplies. Wal-Mart cards are used to purchase small items for the home when move –in time comes, such as towels, bedding, etc.

B. Cash Donations – Donations can be made online through this web site using the “donations” button, which will take you to Pay Pal. This is a secure site and the money is automatically transferred in to the St. Martin's Flood Recovery account.

Or you may mail your donation to:

St. Martin's Flood Recovery

1709 E. Harrison St.

Martinsville, IN 46151

C. Materials – Many of you work at businesses who would be glad to donate building materials – perhaps a load of Dry Wall, or a box of plumbing or electrical materials, plywood, roofing materials, 2x4s, caulk, sheet rock screws, nails, insulation, paint…the list goes on and on, but there may be something, large or small amounts, that your company would be happy to donate. St. Martin Flood Relief is a mission of St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church and is a 501(c) 3, not-for-profit organization, which makes the donation a tax deduction for the donor. If you think that your company might be able to help, please give us a call so that arrangements can be made to receive the materials. We do have access to storage for both large and small amounts. Also, some companies will do an "employee match" whereby they will make a cash donation based on the volunteer hours that their employee works. Please ask you employer if they would like to do this. It is a wonderful way to both volunteer and secure cash donations to help those in need.

Call or E-mail:

Jane Crady

317-642-7322

jacc1@tds.net (that is a #1 in the address)

Again, thank you for all you have already done, and please prayerfully consider your time, treasure and talents. The people of Martinsville and Morgan County need your help! God Bless.

Work Crew Online Sign-up Form

St. Martin's Flood Recovery Forms and information created using Adobe® Acrobat Portable Document Format (PDF).