Hot water from a burst pipe unexpectedly turned the Kindness Project rooms into a flooded sauna Friday, and the Emmaus-based nonprofit is seeking donations to help recover cleanup costs and continue their work aiding foster youth.
Flooding impacted the sorting area, birthday rooms and office/craft room, and the nonprofit will likely need to replace furniture in addition to restocking its supplies of toys and crafts.
“I’ve never experienced anything like that, and you don’t realize how urgent, you know, the need is to fix it right away,” said Jenae Holtzhafer, founder and executive director of the Kindness Project.
The unexpected burst of hot water on such a cold day created significant condensation issues throughout the building.
“It was insane,” Holtzhafer said, “so all the doors and windows were just like dripping like a sauna, and the ceiling was starting to get water across it and dripping down.”
The water damaged some pictures and dripped right on the printer, Holtzhafer said.
“You just have to laugh,” Holtzhafer said, adding that she’s grateful to those who donated shopvacs, dehumidifiers and manpower, and to the nonprofit’s social media community who offered recommendations for remediation services.
The nonprofit is working with a remediation company to assess the damage, and it has filed an insurance claim. Donations will help cover the $500 deductible.
The Kindness Project works with foster youth across 38 counties and served close to 1,300 kids last year, Holtzhafer said. They provide clothing and other essential items and also run free programs including swimming lessons, dance classes, camps, arts activities, and martial arts and sporting events.
Donations can be made at mykindnessproject.org/donatemoney. The nonprofit’s website also includes information about how to volunteer.
“We have about 150 volunteers that really sustain what we do, and they’re amazing people,” Holtzhafer said, adding that all skill sets are needed to support the work.