Willowbrook Residents Displaced By Storm Get Help
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Residents of the Willowbrook Township apartment building damaged by Tuesday's storm took advantage of a one-stop resource center set up Friday for a single day to help them get back on their feet.
From the hustle and bustle that was evident inside of the Hinsdale South High School lunchroom, you would have thought that local organizations were trying to help hundreds of families; but this was only for residents of the 32-unit building on Honeysuckle Rose Lane that lost part of its roof during Tuesday's storm.
Joy Medrano, of Lutheran Social Services, said the American Red Cross began organizing this effort the next day. By noon Friday, it had rounded up nearly a dozen agencies that provided goods and services ranging from clothing, food and emergency shelter to gift cards and mental health counseling.
Medrano said families that arrived were amazed with the one-stop nature of the operation, despite the small number of families affected, but uniformly grateful. All left with contacts for what could happen down the line.
"It's all those unmet needs that come up down the line in a disaster that folks don't think about. These agencies are able to fill that gap," she said.
Among the other agencies that were represented at the resource center included Catholic Charities, HCS Family Services, the St. Vincent DePaul Society, the Salvation Army, DuPage County Community Services, the DuPage Housing Authority, The Community House and the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation Service Center.
Others in the area west and southwest suburbs needing assistance with storm recovery are urged to contact the Red Cross.
The Red Cross can be contacted at 312-729-6100.