Photo: The Sharon at SouthPark
On the Sunday night after devastating floods hit Western North Carolina, Tom Akins of LeadingAge North Carolina texted nonprofit retirement communities across the state: senior facilities in the mountains need our help. By Monday morning, shuttle buses that typically take seniors to grocery stores or theaters were filled with adult diapers, baby wipes, pallets of water and pet food. Southminster has an on-site laundry facility, where dirty laundry is being washed and returned clean the next day. In some facilities, volunteers are needed to relieve burned-out staff, who often have suffered personal devastation. Staff in facilities spared by the storm are volunteering time, like doing round-the-clock “fire walks” around facilities whose fire detection systems have been compromised. As of Wednesday afternoon, LeadingAge North Carolina had raised about $280,000 for the effort from members across the state.
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