CHAUVIN, La. — On highway 56, 18 miles north of Cocodrie, thee north of Chauvin, there’s a place where Don Thibodeaux can pick up basic supplies, hard to find where he lives in Montegut.,
I’m picking up some cereal, some paper towels,” said Thibodeaux. “Some canned goods like Vienna Sausage.”
Like many in Southern Terrebonne Parish, Thibodeaux’s home is in bad shape and so is his community.
“No one that lives in this area or this parish has ever seen a storm this bad before,” said Thibodeaux.
A need that started immediately after Hurricane Ida continues nearly a month later. That’s why the Ward 7 Citizens Club means so much. It opened two days after the storm.
“People were already in line because they knew we were going to open up something,” said Keisha Foret. “This place has always been a distribution site.”
Foret is helping to manage donations from all over the country, coming in by truckloads.
“They just show up,” said Foret. “We never know when they’re coming or what time they’re going to show up.”
Everything is free. Folks can get as much or as little as they need thanks to generosity from strangers.
“We don’t know how to stop it if we wanted to,” said Foret.
Those donations are a blessing to Edwina Johnson, who lives in Pointe-Aux-Chenes, a bayou community that mostly still doesn’t have power.
“We really don’t have anything except for all those donations,” said Johnson.
Keeping those donations sorted keeps Foret busy, a needed distraction from her own reality.
“Living in the parking lot, yep,” said Foret as she points to a camper behind the building.
Foret lost her Chauvin home in the storm and is now living in that camper with four other family members
“There are enough beds for us but you have only so much stuff you can fit in a camper,” said Foret.
Foret said at least having a place to stay is a blessing, but the greater blessing is helping other folks who need one as well.
The Cajun Army is also playing a big role in keeping the site operational. A big need right now is mold and mildew cleaning supplies. That site is open to the public from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.