Florida Catholic | Faith And Gratitude Abound At Shelter

Faith and gratitude abound at emergency shelter

Despite impending material losses from wildfires, people sheltered and serving at Our Lady of Grace Parish are thankful and imbued with faith.

LAURA DODSON | FLORIDA CATHOLIC CORRESPONDENT

Published: 05.15.08

Hell was at our door and we responded with love.”
— Volunteer, Seminarian Randy Allen

PALM BAY | Makeshift signs pointed the way to the entrance. Feliciano Zayas emerged from the hall with a broad smile and outstretched hand, “Come in! Come in!” he welcomed. On May 14, day three of serving as an American Red Cross shelter for victims of wildfires that had been raging in south Brevard County since May 11, Our Lady of Grace Parish here was still welcoming all to come in and find rest.

There was great reason for joy — tempered by relief and respect for the untold horrors the guests had experienced. No matter what material loss or physical inconvenience people had suffered, the message spoken in every concerned face and embracing action was, thank God you are safe, we are together, all will be well.

“It’s overwhelming,” Zayas said. “The American Red Cross knows we are here to give our unconditional support. It took not even a day to build relationships and work together.”

Building relationships is most familiar to Zayas. He works with the Farm Workers Association, is on the quick–response team for the parish — “filling in the blanks” with whatever is needed in a crisis; serves on the KP (kitchen police) team providing food for major events and “Christ Renews His Parish” retreats; and has served as a co–coordinator of the heritage festival — a celebration of the parish’s cultural diversity for the past five years.

The parish opened as a shelter at 3 p.m., May 12, and Zayas had been there since early Tuesday morning May 13, helping with the organization of food donations and distribution to recipients; cooking and serving breakfast; doing whatever needed to be done to comfort all who had come for assistance, as well as very much aware of the needs of those who had come to assist.

Employees of the city of Palm Bay and Brevard County Housing and Human Services had transformed a meeting room into an interview site for registering and processing peoples’ needs. Rose Lunsford of the city of Palm Bay indicated that as of the afternoon of May 14, 33 files representing families averaging four persons each who were in need of temporary housing had been completed. Of that number, six families had suffered total destruction of their homes, three had homes that were badly damaged, and the rest were unable to return to their homes because of dangerous situations caused by power poles still burning and/or lack of utilities — power, water, phone — or because of medical conditions such as asthma and allergies that were exacerbated by the smoke.

Lunsford explained, “We have placed everyone in hotels for a week and given them gift cards for immediate assistance so that they can regroup and decide what needs to be done next. The state will then step in to provide assistance, for example, the funds where necessary to meet insurance deductibles.”

VICTIMS AND VOLUNTEERS

Thank God, thank God, thank God and the Blessed Virgin Mary,”
— Yolanda Chavez

Many of the people who had come to the shelter had fled not knowing what was ahead. Juan and Yolanda Chavez and Yolanda’s sister Ana Correte and her 4–year–old son Xavier Williams are parishioners at Our Lady of Grace and live in the same neighborhood. “We thought we lost the house, but when we got back, it was still there,” Correte explained. “Fire caught the brush and trees, but thank God, He covered every single house in the area. It’s a miracle.”

Utilities hadn’t been restored to the area yet, so they were content to enjoy the accommodations of the parish. Juan Chavez referred to the shelter as “a five–star hotel!”

“Everyone has been warm and helpful. The nurses were wonderful,” Yolanda Chavez shared. “Thank God, thank God, thank God and the Blessed Virgin Mary,” she added and said they’re part of the rosary ministry for the parish.

Xavier was too shy to speak, although he showed off his balloon dog as a prize of the trauma. “A clown came and made balloon animals for the children,” Correte explained, “and he was entertained with coloring books and toys. Thank you to the Red Cross and our church that gave hospitality and everything necessary to make everyone comfortable.”

Michelle Aleksiejczuk, 13 years old and a parish youth group member, had arrived Tuesday morning with her father to take a shower and stayed to help out. She explained, “I’m comfortable with children. I’m a kid myself so I can communicate with them. I know what they like.”

In addition to entertaining the children, she had helped to serve breakfast, unload donations brought in, and then helped load them into recipients’ cars. “All the people here — the community is in such a difficult time with the gas prices and the economy, but the people came together to help. Most people have financial problems and to come here to help is most touching to me,” was the wisdom Michelle shared.

At the other end of the generational spectrum was Don Carothers, district deputy of the Knights of Columbus District 38, a member of the parish KP team and a fifth–grade teacher at Turner Elementary. “Since I don’t have school (the schools were closed due to the disaster), I came here to help cook and serve meals. It’s an awesome experience to see people come in down in the dumps and we can provide something to uplift their spirits and fulfill God’s command of charity. There was one family with a lot of little children who were very upset. We talked with them and soon they felt safe.”

Alice Tirado, also a member of the KP team, was busy cooking dinner, but stopped long enough to share, “I heard it (the opening of the parish as a shelter) on the radio and just came. I’ve been doing a little bit of everything. I’m a crossing guard and I saw some of my kids here. I didn’t know how to ask them about it, so I kept quiet and gave them a big hug. I’ll stay till they (don’t) need me.”

Estavia Pilerelouis is from Haiti and speaks minimal English, but she was able to contribute with the help of two young women — Tracy Vernet, 17, and Scarlett Jean–Louis, 16 — both at the shelter because their families’ homes were without utilities and both of whom she’d just met, but were helping with her two children, 3–year–old Jaiden and Sheralyn, who is 1.

“The back of her house is burned. There is no electricity, no water, no phone, no bathroom, no food,” Tracy translated, “This is the second day she is here and she’s going to have to go to a hotel. She can’t go home because there’s nothing there.”

Scarlett barely whispered the rest of Pilerelouis’ account, “Everything hurts her. There are more problems. She’s sad and can’t sleep. People have helped.”

PUTTING SMILES ON FACES

A glance around the room revealed a young man doing a jigsaw puzzle. At another table a teenage couple was playing cards; still another table was surrounded with middle–aged men and women talking amongst themselves. There were families with distressed faces and women sorting through clothes for sizes that would fit. Through the double doorway, meeting rooms held cots and bedding, and a few occupants enjoyed an afternoon nap.

Anna Pantin, an 18–year–old student who had just finished her first year at Brevard Community College, paused from her task of drawing juice from the huge barrel for the children for dinner, “I’m a first–grade catechist, an extraordinary minister of holy Communion and a minister of hospitality for the parish,” she said. “I came on Tuesday to help with food, distributing snacks to the children, helping everybody in a time of need and taking the stress away from them. Yesterday, an older lady asked me how old I am and she told me how nice it was to see so many people come out in a time of need. It felt good to know I was helping others put a smile on their face and take some of that stress away from them.”

Randy Allen is a second–year seminarian at home on a two–week break from St. John Vianney College Seminary in Miami. “I was fighting fires in my own neighborhood on Monday,” he explained. They had used rakes and shovels and pails of water as the fires jumped from place to place.

“On Tuesday, I was able to come in and help in coordinating the American Red Cross efforts with our parish volunteers.” Allen then described how the mood had changed, “There was a woman here and her daughters were totally stressed, screaming and crying. Now this is like a living room. Children feel safe. People consider this home. They’re sleeping on cots — it’s barely comfortable and you wouldn’t think of it as a retreat center, but it is.”

“People expect me to do this because it is my call,” Allen continued, “but this is a universal call. We are all called to help our neighbors in need. Our neighbors are always in need. Serving and being here for hours is all of our duty for others. The kingdom of God is here! Hell was at our door and we responded with love.”

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