The Discovery Senior Living organization has collected and team members personally delivered two truckloads full of much-needed food and personal care items, water and emergency supplies for those affected by Hurricane Ida in Louisiana.
Led by New Orleans native Cassidy Kramer, who serves as Business Development Specialist at Discovery Commons At Bradenton (FL), the company’s relief efforts produced in just a few days stockpiles of essentials like food and water, blankets and baby items, tools, tarps and emergency supplies. Kramer was also able to secure a sizable donation of clothing, cleaning supplies and portable air conditioning units from her community’s local partner, the Manatee County School District.
The senior living provider’s Discovery Makes a Difference charitable arm then covered 100% of the truck rental and transportation costs, and over the Labor Day weekend, Kramer and her husband, Steve, drove the two, supply-filled trucks from the Discovery corporate headquarters in Bonita Springs to The Cross Church in Terrebonne Parrish, Louisiana, where they distributed food and supplies to area residents. The trip later concluded with a stop at The Trace Assisted Living and Memory Care community in Covington, where team members in need were given food, water and other necessities. The Trace is now hosting several of its own team members whose homes were destroyed by Ida.
“This whole thing started off as just filling up my SUV with emergency supplies, but that quickly changed,” said Kramer, who expressed gratitude and satisfaction for being able to help struggling families, but also emphasized the need for more generators, air conditioners, gas, bottled water, cleaning supplies and toiletries to help those impacted.
“Pictures don’t do justice to the devastation,” she said. “The town, like many others, is completely destroyed and unrecognizable, and electrical service is not expected to be restored until early October, at best.”
Generous monetary contributions from Discovery team members and their families have already exceeded $7,000, with CEO Richard Hutchinson personally matching that amount. Kramer is leading ongoing efforts to allocate thousands in remaining, new funds to procure and deliver additional relief items to the area.
Headquartered in Florida, Discovery Senior Living currently owns and operates a portfolio of more than 70 communities in 15 states.
