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Helping those who help others

EASLEY — The recent cold weather has been brutal to us all but perhaps most affected was a local non-profit, the domestic violence shelter MARYS House.

On the morning of Jan. 21, Robert Cowan, chair of the MARYS House board of directors received a call. It was down hill from there.

“A neighbor called and said he could see water just pouring out of the eves,” Cowan said. “I thought, ‘well, this can’t be good.’”

When Cowan arrived at the administration and donation center of the organization, he found two water pipes had burst in the attic.

It was a mess.

“The water was flowing into the attic area, dumping out into several rooms,” he said. “The ceiling is bowed in some places and straight up caved in in others. Insulation is everywhere, the floor was flooded, I have no idea how much of the furniture will survive.”

The building, just past Easley on SC 135, serves as the office and administration building for the MARYS House staff and volunteers. It also houses the majority of their donations and contributions for their annual yard sale.

“We were just prepping up for our yard sale too, everything was in that (flooded) hallway,” he said. “Still, this could have been so much worse — this could have happened at the shelter. That would have been a disaster.”

Cowan said he didn’t have an estimate as to how much damage had been done but that it was “impactful.”

“We’re a non-profit and working on a limited budget,” he said. “Right now I don’t even know if our insurance will cover this and if it does, we don’t know what the deductible will be. If we’re talking even one or two thousand, that’s going to have to come out of the budget and will hit us hard.”

The rooms affected were both bathrooms, a hallway, a shelter storage room and the newly renovated administration side of the building. Servepro stepped up and has aided the agency with water clean-up and dehumidifying the building.

The extent of the damage will cause the administrative staff to have to transfer all documents and daily operations out of the building and into the shelter, Cowan said.

The organization will begin an in-depth clean up and debris removal before renovations can begin as funding allows.

MARYS House is a locally based non-profit emergency shelter that serves those fleeing domestic violence. The staff works hand in hand with law enforcement and many other organizations to give a safe place for domestic violence victims to heal from the physical and mental abuse they receive.

They provide counseling, shelter and other services to victims through non-discriminatory programs. The majority of the funding comes from private citizens and organizations that see the need for the shelter.

Those wishing to donate can go to maryshouse.com and click the “donate now” button.

If you wish to contact them about other possible needs you can do so by emailing them at either board@maryshouse.com or director@maryshouse.com.

Piles of donations for their upcoming yard sale had to be salvaged from the flooded rooms.
https://www.theeasleyprogress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/web1_006-1.jpgPiles of donations for their upcoming yard sale had to be salvaged from the flooded rooms. Kasie Strickland | The Sentinel-Progress
The organization will begin an in-depth clean up and debris removal before renovations can begin as funding allows.
https://www.theeasleyprogress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/web1_010.jpgThe organization will begin an in-depth clean up and debris removal before renovations can begin as funding allows. Kasie Strickland | The Sentinel-Progress
Those wishing to donate can go to maryshouse.com and click the “donate now” button.
https://www.theeasleyprogress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/web1_011.jpgThose wishing to donate can go to maryshouse.com and click the “donate now” button. Kasie Strickland | The Sentinel-Progress
The rooms affected were both bathrooms, a hallway, a shelter storage room and the newly renovated administration side of the building.
https://www.theeasleyprogress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/web1_014-2.jpgThe rooms affected were both bathrooms, a hallway, a shelter storage room and the newly renovated administration side of the building. Kasie Strickland | The Sentinel-Progress
MARYS House admin building damaged by recent cold weather.
https://www.theeasleyprogress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/web1_016.jpgMARYS House admin building damaged by recent cold weather. Kasie Strickland | The Sentinel-Progress
Domestic violence shelter damaged by frozen, burst pipes.

By Kasie Strickland

kstrickland@championcarolinas.com

Reach Kasie Strickland at 864-855-0355.

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