Eglin provides for displaced families through Airman’s Attic

  • Published
  • By Sarah McCaffrey
  • 96th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFPN) --  It is not unusual to see vehicles lined up, five to six deep, patiently waiting in the aftermath of a hurricane. Usually these long lines are for fuel to power cars and generators. Here, however, these cars are lined up for a different reason: they are waiting to donate goods to those in need.

A lengthy line of cars waited to unload their goods at the Airman’s Attic Sept 2. People brought clothes, furniture, toys and household appliances to help military families displaced by Hurricane Katrina and who have lost everything in the wake of the devastating storm.

“They have absolutely nothing now,” said Brenda Morrison, Airman’s Attic manager. “Their homes are totally flooded out. Most of them left on a three-day evacuation.”

Ms. Morrison said the outpouring of support from people wanting to help the storm victims has been much greater than she expected.

“The support here is a million times more than I thought it would be,” she said. “Active duty, officers’ wives, civilians -- they’ve all been coming in to help out.”

Since the storm, Ms. Morrison said the Airman’s Attic has had about 200 volunteers to help sort, pick up and deliver items. She expects that she will have at least that many more volunteers in the coming days. People have also been donating the use of their trucks to pick up donations and to deliver them to the Airman’s Attic.

Joe Quinones and 1st Lt. Shannon Rivers, both with the Air-to-Ground Munitions Systems wing, took the day off work to help pick up and deliver donations. By midmorning, they had already made four pick ups in the local area.

“People need help; that’s what we’re here for,” Mr. Quinones said. “Not only do we serve our country, but we help people in need.”

People here know from experience the difficulties of life after hurricanes. In a region that has been dealt blows from Mother Nature by three major hurricanes and numerous tropical storms in less than a year, people are eager to help their brethren who are suffering now.

“I have families that are willing to donate furniture, refrigerators, whatever they need,” said Carla Mitchell, whose husband works for the 40th Flight Test Squadron. Families from the 40th FTS were seeking out ways they could help those displaced by the storm.

The outpouring of help was so great that the Airman’s Attic had to ask people to stop donating goods by late morning because they ran out of room to house the donations. Instead, they encouraged people to make monetary donations to the Eglin Family Assistance Center or to donate items to service agencies outside the base gates.

Any active-duty military Airmen, enlisted and officers, who were displaced by Hurricane Katrina can go to the Airman’s Attic for assistance.

“They get to shop ‘til they drop for free,” Ms. Morrison said. “If I don’t have (what they need), I will find it. I don’t give up.”