PPB April 2018

many items are being donated and hundreds of packages are being delivered to a site that has only a handful of volunteers—six to eight on any given day,” he says. Soon, the backlog of work becomes overwhelming. As one of the volunteers, I saw it firsthand. Most of the boxes shipped to Houston for Harvey relief contained disparate items that required volunteers to unpack, sort, organize and repack them into other boxes. Every time we finished one shipment, another skid of donations arrived at the warehouse. It was then that we all looked at each other and said, “There has to be a better way!” The aftermath of Harvey was not the first catastrophic event to affect our industry and our communities, nor will it be the last. So, how can we, as an industry, better respond the next time disaster strikes? Let’s first look at a typical timeline of events that follows a disaster: Days One And Two: Emotions are high. Evacuations are rampant. Shelters open across the area, the largest often being at convention centers and sports venues. These shelters will take all kinds of donations in order to clothe, feed and soothe the displaced disaster victims. Hundreds, if not thousands, of bags of donated clothing, bottled water, toiletries, etc., pour into the shelters. Days Three Through Five: Shelters now begin to accept only specific items. Used clothing becomes less needed and new clothing is more desired because the initial sense of loss is lessened. Disaster victims are now looking for everyday essentials to bring a sense of normalcy to their routines. Days Six Through 10: The shelters begin emptying as people return to their homes or make other long-term housing plans at hotels and rental homes, and the type of donations become even more detailed. People now need cleaning supplies, toiletries, personal hygiene items, diapers, school supplies, school uniforms, new clothing, underwear and shoes for all ages. In the meantime, satellite donation centers at schools, churches, synagogues and veterans associations have opened. Organizers there are asking donors for the necessary items to help their communities. The larger shelters that attracted the most media attention in the aftermath of the storm are likely no longer needing donations, but the smaller centers are in desperate need with no way to get the word out. It was at this point in the Hurricane Harvey relief efforts that Hirsch asked some of his employees to volunteer and seek out shelters that needed donations. HPPA volunteers networked within their communities to do the same. Simultaneously, numerous industry volunteers were trying to manage the massive numbers of boxes containing donations that were pouring in. They were donated with good intentions, but the boxes contained too many different kinds of products to sort them efficiently, and most contained a mix of used clothing and new clothing with no listing of sizes or the intended gender. When a crisis strikes, we as an industry can be better prepared to assist those affected by having awell-constructed plan in place. Hirsch used the following two-part plan tomarshal industry volunteers and donations followingHurricane Katrina and again in the aftermath of HurricaneHarvey. Part One: Make A Plan 1 A successful collection and distribution operation requires leadership from a supplier or distributor company that has available warehouse space. It is also essential that the company be geographically located as close as possible to where help is needed most. The company’s warehouse must be accessible to large semi-tractor trailers and box trucks and should also have access to a forklift or similar equipment to help unload and move pallets. Multiple handcarts/dollies are essential, too. 2 Appoint volunteer coordinators who can identify shelters and organizations who need donations, and cross reference these needs with available donations. The coordinators are also needed to manage volunteers. 3 Recruit local volunteers to help unload trucks, and sort, organize, repack and distribute donations. Volunteer drivers, especially those with trailers, are also needed to drop off donations at the identified shelters and organizations. What’s on your mind? If you can articulate it as a Viewpoint article, send your thoughts to PPB@ppai.org for consideration in a future issue of PPB . The aftermath of Harvey was not the first catastrophic event to affect our industry and our communities, nor will it be the last. So, how can we, as an industry, better respond the next time disaster strikes? | APRIL 2018 | 23 INNOVATE