Welcome to the M.O.R.E. Center

M.O.R.E. Center Takes Center Stage In Moving "Marengo Forward"

These past few weeks have been a real test for all of us in Marengo. They're saying "Marengo Strong" and "Marengo Forward". The M.O.R.E. Center has been similarly tested. We hit the ground running at 9:00 a.m. Monday morning, June 12, after being asked by City Hall to head up gathering items of clothing and household items, donations of cash and gift cards and then also coordinating assistance to the victims. Our Center has never taken on anything remotely this large, but with adjustments being made when needed and with the overwhelming support of the community with massive donations of material items, cash, gift cards and manpower, we have made it through the most demanding few weeks. We had people stopping in to volunteer to sort clothing and move items to a climate controlled area of McGill's. Here, victims will be able to acquire items as they need them. A community-wide garage sale will take place after all the affected families are finished. The recovery of those affected the most will be long. As some move from motels into housing, we will continue to be here to help. Our financial assistance director will continue to see individuals several times to assess and help pay unexpected bills, or to help in arranging other kinds of assistance from other organizations. The first checks are now being written to help all those affected, totaling more than $79,000, and paying out to 86 families.

As we continue to do our job here, I would like to remind you that everyone involved in our organization is an unpaid volunteer and this has been most taxing on all of us. I am extremely proud of how we have responded and, most of all, how our community has and still is responding to what is probably the largest disaster this town has ever seen.

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