Memorial Moms Group Helps Neighbors after Harvey

It all started out of a moms group that has existed for a while now, explained Memorial resident Jennifer Hoskovec. There are three neighborhoods in the group – Thornwood, Nottingham Forest VIII and Westchester. These neighborhoods are close in proximity and feed to the same schools so a moms group tying together these three areas made sense. The moms plan regular get-togethers and keep up a Facebook page to share information and resources.

But it was after Harvey happened that this group of moms collaborated in ways that made an extraordinary difference in neighbors’ lives. These Memorial neighborhoods were hit particularly hard by the flood. So a couple of the moms worked together to create an Amazon Wish List filled with items that they knew neighbors would need when it came time to start cleaning out their homes.

The wish list was shared via social media and email (over and over again) and supplies quickly came pouring in. The group received donations from friends and family - and friends of friends, and organizations and companies - from all over the country. The supplies were initially housed at the Westchester neighborhood pool, since it was accessible a little earlier than the other neighborhoods.

Moms took charge of inventorying the supplies. Items that were reusable – fans, generators, and so forth – were checked out to neighbors so that the items could be tracked, returned and then checked out to another family. The “supply depot” as the group refers to it, has been open daily, typically 7 a.m.-7 p.m., with mostly neighborhood moms staffing it. As the needs shifted, so did the supply depot. Once the Thornwood neighborhood was accessible, a second supply depot was opened at its neighborhood pool.

The moms also worked to make sure that all of the volunteers helping in neighbors’ home received meals. They have shuttled in food to the neighborhood – “literally handing out food out of the windows to families,” described Hoskovec – and making sure that both neighbor families and volunteers are fed and hydrated.

“It has been a hub of resources and supplies,” she said. Groups of moms have made sandwiches and delivered sack launches. Restaurants donated food for hundreds of peoples at a time, which were boxed and delivered by moms, door to door. Dads put together a big BBQ pit and took food to neighbors. “It really has been an incredible thing to watch,” said Hoskovec. “For me, it’s solidified that I picked the right community to live in, for sure.”

Some of the other moms who have been instrumental in creating the wish list, supply depot and securing food donations include Meg Maguire, Kristin Anderson, Gina Keith, Dena McKillip, Ruth Parks, Julie Krovontka and Jennifer Fitzjarrald, among many of the other neighbors who have worked tirelessly to help one another.

The group also collaborated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints’ Helping Hand group; their lead contacts have been neighbors Trina and Andrew Morford. They worked together to create a list to track families that needed assistance. At first, the needs were more along the lines of identifying who needed a boat. Then, assistance with cleaning. Then, demo. The assistance is still ongoing – today, needs might be more along the lines of packing moving trucks. Hundreds and hundreds of LDS volunteers from across Texas and the country have been brought in to volunteer in these neighborhoods. Teams of volunteers have worked tirelessly to remove drywall, insulation, flooring, carpeting, furniture, appliances, debris and more.

The Hoskovec’s home didn’t flood. She says that for those neighbors like herself who didn’t flood, the sentiment among them is they were “spared, so now we’re called to serve. We’re here to help our neighbors.”

At this point - now a month exactly since Harvey hit - the moms group decided to take down the Amazon wish list. The amount of donations has been so great in number that they felt the supplies currently in their depot will support neighbors through the next steps of cleanout in preparation for rebuilding, though “continued support for the community will be needed as rebuilding ensues,” said Hoskovec.

“Neighbors who love their neighbors – it’s pretty amazing what can happen when that’s the case,” said Hoskovec.