Volunteers load a mattress onto a truck for tornado survivors in Muhlenberg County, Ky., on Sept. 12, 2022, outside the warehouse being used for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul of Western Kentucky’s “House in a Box” initiative. COURTESY OF RICHARD REMP-MORRIS
St. Vincent de Paul offers ‘House in a Box’ for western Ky. tornado survivors
BY ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC
Nancy Harris, the president of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul of Western Kentucky, likes to say, “it’s a ‘House in a Box’ – but there’s no box!”
“House in a Box,” which is a program out of the national Society of St. Vincent de Paul’s Disaster Service Corporation, would not even fit in a box. It’s actually an initiative to provide survivors of natural disasters with basic furniture and furnishings as they transition to their new homes.
Founded in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the program is “kind of a house starter kit,” according to Richard Remp-Morris, the executive director/CEO of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul of Western Kentucky.
Remp-Morris and his fellow Vincentians have recently started offering House in a Box services for the survivors of the December 2021 tornadoes that struck western Kentucky.
They were thrilled upon receiving a $1.7 million grant from American Red Cross, and have projected that they should be able to serve 500 families.
“The vetting process will be a combination of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Owensboro and long-term recovery groups” as well as other faith-based organizations serving the region, said Remp-Morris.
Catholic Charities and these other groups will then refer clients to SVDP, who will “organize and get things together for each family,” said Remp-Morris.
On Aug. 30, Richard Remp-Morris, the executive director/CEO of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul of Western Kentucky, looks at boxes of items for the survivors of the December 2021 tornadoes. These will be included in the “House in a Box” kits. ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD | WKC
All of the items are being stored in a warehouse in Owensboro. Remp-Morris said they would have preferred to use a location closer to where the tornadoes struck, but storage facilities are still limited in those regions – plus, the landlord leased them the warehouse at a fraction of the lease cost.
The warehouse manager, Patrick Clary, has a mockup display of the House in a Box “kit” at the entrance of the warehouse, so that visitors can see the variety of items provided.
The units are automatically set up for a family of four, but can be adjusted according to how many members there are of each family. Items include basic dining room sets, beds, kitchen wares, and appliances – “obviously things that people need,” said Remp-Morris.
He said they would still have provided House in a Box even without the Red Cross grant – “because of our partners, donors and other grants” – but this way they can serve more people than they ever imagined possible.
The Red Cross grant will permit them to offer House in a Box for about 16 months, but it could possibly last longer if more donors were to step up.
Remp-Morris said that when SVDP initially started working on tornado recovery efforts, “I had a lady call me, crying, right after the tornado. She said, ‘I’m on a fixed income and I can only send $5.’”
Remp-Morris told her, “‘Ma’am, there are no small gifts.’”
Volunteers load items onto a truck for tornado survivors in Muhlenberg County, Ky., on Sept. 12, 2022, outside the warehouse being used for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul of Western Kentucky’s “House in a Box” initiative. COURTESY OF RICHARD REMP-MORRIS
Originally printed in the October 2022 issue of The Western Kentucky Catholic.
