What We Do

Even though it has now been more than three years since Hurricane Katrina hit on August 29, 2005, the devastation in St Bernard Parish remains overwhelming. Entire blocks of homes and businesses still stand empty and derelict, marked for destruction. There are no hospitals here now, and the population is only about half of what it was before the disaster. Yet the rate of child abuse in St Bernard Parish is up by 150% compared to pre-Katrina values, and the rate of elder abuse and neglect has risen by an incredible 335%.

As they undertake one of the most daunting disaster recovery efforts this nation has ever seen, the people of St. Bernard have very practical needs. They need laundry facilities so they can keep themselves and their children clean. They need phones so they can maintain contact with family members scattered across the country. They need internet connections so they can find information about rebuilding their businesses and their homes. They need a centralized location for services so they can receive donated supplies and assistance easily and with dignity. And they need a place to come together to enjoy a hot, nutritious meal and share their ongoing frustrations and successes with their neighbors. The Community Center of St Bernard is dedicated to providing hurricane survivors with the recovery resources they need in a safe and all-inclusive setting.

Office Assistant Job Openings

The Community Center also has 2 part-time openings (20 hours/week) for an Office Assistant. These positions are available through the Senior Community Service Employment Program, so you must be at least 55 years old. Basic computer and data-entry skills are needed, and you must be well-organized with a friendly, helpful attitude. For more information about these jobs, please phone Executive Director Iray Nabatoff at 504-281-2512 during normal business hours.

The Community Center welcomes donations of canned foods, used clothing and books, personal hygiene items, cleaning supplies, and baby care items for free distribution to local residents through our Mustard Seed program. All items should be in good condition and food should not be opened or spoiled. For more information about making a donation, please contact Mustard Seed Distribution Manager Jason Horwitz at 504-281-2512.

For those of you who have extra time, keep in mind that there are also many hands-on volunteer opportunities available at the Community Center in the office, kitchen, and distribution areas. To learn more, please go to www.ccstb.org/images/volunteers.pdf or phone the Community Center Office at 504–281–2512.

Finally, we are trying to obtain a donation of tshirts for volunteers and staff to wear during Community Center events so that visitors will know who to talk to if they have any questions or need assistance. We would ideally like to get 200 shirts in assorted sizes, with the Community Center logo on them. If you know of an organization or business that could donate these items, please let us know! We'll be glad to provide a receipt for tax deduction purposes.

Oscoda Plastics®, Inc., the manufacturer of PROTECT-ALL® Commercial Flooring, has donated over 1,500 square feet of interlocking tiles to the Community Center of St. Bernard located in the St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana. The flooring for the new laundry facility was installed by volunteers from the Cudd Memorial Baptist Church in Spartanburg, South Carolina while the flooring in the main room was installed by volunteers from Massachusetts and elsewhere.

On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit St. Bernard Parish where 93% of homes were rated as “severely damaged” or “destroyed,” and almost four years later, the population is only about half of what it was pre-Katrina. This is also the site of the Murphy Oil spill, the largest domestic residential oil spill in U.S. history. The Community Center in St. Bernard Parish is located directly east of New Orleans’ lower Ninth Ward.

The Community Center is dedicated to empowering families who are still struggling to rebuild by providing them with local access to essential recovery resources including canned food, clothing, hot meals, medical care, legal aid, internet access and public phones.

“We are grateful to Oscoda Plastics for their generous donation which will enable us to expand our facilities so that we will not have to limit the amount of assistance we give, or begin turning families away,” said Iray Nabatoff, Executive Director of the Community Center of St. Bernard. “The need for these basic services is growing as the economy continues to worsen, with the number of clients who use our food pantry increasing by 18% during the first three months of 2009.”

During the renovation of the Community Center, environmental responsibility was taken into account. PROTECT-ALL is manufactured from 100% pre-consumer recycled vinyl. Annually, over six million pounds of vinyl waste is recycled into PROTECT-ALL and kept out of the nation’s landfills. Also, all of the paint used during renovation came from The Green Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting environmental sustainability in New Orleans.

“We were inspired by the story of Iray and are excited that we could help the community of St. Bernard,” said John Rouse, Oscoda Plastics National Sales Manager. “Our interlocking tiles are the perfect application for their laundry facility and we feel good to know that we are helping the residents come back to some sort of normalcy.”

Manufactured in Oscoda, Michigan by Oscoda Plastics, Inc., PROTECT-ALL Commercial Flooringderives its durability and slip-resistance from the specialized thermal fusion process that blends remnant industrial-strength vinyl together into one monolithic piece. Oscoda Plastics, Inc. is a fast-growing manufacturer specializing in the production of environmentally-friendly building products that are used extensively in commercial kitchens, athletic facilities, veterinary offices, and many other flooring applications. For more information, please contact John Rouse at 800-544-9538 or visit www.oscodaplastics.com

Pictured from left: John Rouse, National Sales Manager of Oscoda Plastics; Matt Osment, James Mills, Caieb Thrower, Allie White, and Courtney Garrett all of Cudd Memorial Baptist Church.

Tile installation in the main room - thanks Lois, Paul, Jeff, Scott & Rob!

Finished laundry room floor.

• Local and long-distance phone service
• Fax send and receive
• Computers with internet access and technical assistance if needed
• Wireless Internet Access Point (WiFi)
• Distribution center for food, clothes and toiletries
• Performance space for local musicians and artists
• Computer classes
• Space for neighborhood gatherings, community meetings and support groups
• Satellite office space for other agencies
• Laundry facilities (coming soon)
• Community suppers
• Dinner–dances, holiday celebrations, and other family–oriented gatherings