While the coverage of the August flood may be out of national media, the fight isn’t nearly over for thousands in the state.
My school year was delayed three weeks due to flood waters and students and teachers being displaced — many of them losing everything. We finally started back to school this week and I allowed students to share their experiences.
So many of them lost pets, all their belongings, clothes, shoes and school supplies. Many students are not living in their own homes or even in the district. Those whose homes survived the flood have other families living with them. One student is living with 16 people in her home.
On average, I’ve heard students say they have 7-9 people living under one roof.
The flood waters have receded and we are trying our best to get back to “normal” daily life, but the remembered experiences and heartbreak will stick with my students and everyone forever.
I was beyond fortunate not to receive any water in my own home. So during my free time I was able to help my friend Meredith, owner of SFT (also seen here & here), package orders of her fundraiser T-shirt that went viral after the flood.
Southern Football T-shirts, a Baton Rouge owned company, donated more than $38,000 to the BRAF: Louisiana Flood Relief Fund on Friday, August 26 — and has since raised even more.
The donation was made in honor of the 2016 Cajun Navy Rescue Effort to directly assist the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank’s recovery effort. The Food Bank’s 1,700-square-foot warehouse took on four feet of water during the recent Louisiana flooding.
SFT’s donation comes from the profits of its Cajun Navy t-shirt sales during the month of August. SFT donated $15 of each t-shirt sold.
How It Happened
On Monday, August 16 – in the midst of the flooding – SFT owner Meredith Waguespack and graphic designer Sarah Gibbens, posted a Cajun Navy graphic on Facebook to express their appreciation of the brave men and women who launched their boats into the floodwaters in efforts to rescue those who were stranded.
The post unexpectedly went viral with numerous requests for the graphic to be made into a t-shirt. SFT listened and quickly designed a fundraising Cajun Navy t-shirt with the goal of raising money for the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank.
Within days of the t-shirt release, SFT earned more than $30,000 for its first donation.
As a small business, the t-shirt company was astounded with the support they’ve received from people all over the state, country and even world. So far, t-shirts have shipped as far as Germany and Australia!
“It’s great to know we have been able to raise funds for the community from people all across the world that may not have been able to donate otherwise,” Waguespack said. “We know every little bit helps.”
With such high demand for the t-shirts, many of Meredith’s friends helped her package orders. I got my first experience in the T-shirt retail world. And let me tell you — I don’t think I’m cut out for retail!
My hands were sore from the tag gun (in the off chance I could actually get it to work) and I learned just how bad I really am at folding clothes.
But overall, it was so much fun getting to pretend to work in this industry and in the SFT office for a few days. It was so rewarding to do something for a good cause and work with like-minded people in the local fashion industry.
In the midst of the T-shirt packaging, I was also planning and prepping for The Baton Rouge Fashion Council’s Fall Fashion Fest. To everyone’s surprise SFT launched the purple-and-gold version of the tee at the event — just in time for LSU football season!
SFT also has plans to launch a black-and-gold Saints version and children’s sizes.
You can shop for a cause here.
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