DETROIT – As southeast Michigan prepares for a week where a heatwave is expected to come, one Detroit nonprofit that focuses on keeping people warm in the winter is dealing with an unexpected setback.
“The gloves are so soaking wet they’re irredeemable,” said Wendy Shepherd, executive director of Mittens for Detroit. “They’re gone.”
A burst pipe in the basement of Mittens for Detroit destroyed thousands of pairs of gloves and mittens intended for children and adults in need.
The damage happened Friday, according to Shepherd. She said she received a call from the property managers letting her know what happened.
Volunteers have spent days sorting through waterlogged boxes, salvaging what they can and throwing out what they can’t save.
From floor to ceiling, the basement had been stacked with boxes of the cold-weather gear.
The nonprofit collects and distributes new mittens and gloves through partner organizations, which then get them to people who need them most in the winter months.
Shepherd said some of the organizations or entities they work with include Hamtramck and Pontiac Schools, senior centers and veteran foundations.
Shepherd said seeing the destruction in person was overwhelming.
“It was like a gut punch because hearing about it and seeing photographs is one thing,” she said. “But walking in and seeing the whole basement here filled with boxes of wet gloves and boxes sagging over because they’re so soaked at the bottom. I’ve spent a lot of time crying.”
Shepherd estimates that more than 12,000 pairs of mittens and gloves were stored in the basement before the water damage. Only a fraction of them were salvageable.
Property managers responded quickly, she said, helping to stop the leak and prevent even more damage.
Still, the timing could hardly be worse for the organization. Mittens for Detroit typically uses the summer months to take inventory and prepare for fall and winter distribution.
“This is so sad,” Shepherd said. “I hope we can recover from this.”
Mittens for Detroit is asking for help from the community as it works to rebuild its inventory ahead of the cold-weather season.
Information on how to donate money can be found here.
Shepherd mentioned she will be talking with her insurance company about what happened soon.