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Former Walmart becomes distribution center for evacuees

Houston Chronicle:

The dirt marking where shelves and cash registers used to stand reflects the familiar floor plan of a Wal-Mart.

But this Pasadena building, empty just two weeks ago, is now fully stocked and serving a very different purpose — providing free items for hurricane evacuees as they move on with their lives.

"This is the only distribution center set up in the Houston area for evacuees. That's why it's so massive," said Salvation Army Capt. Russell Czajkowski, who is helping operate the 150,000-square-foot facility at 5950 Fairmont Parkway.

After being open more than a week, the Salvation Army center has distributed goods to about 3,300 families who now are settling into their new homes and apartments.

After filling out intake forms verifying their status as hurricane evacuees, visitors are escorted throughout the store by volunteers. Each gets a basket full of food and another with clothes, shoes, books, toys or whatever else is on the rows of tables or in the stacks of boxes.

These are among the truckloads of donated items that poured in from around the country in the aftermath of Katrina. Many arrived at the Astrodome after it was announced the old sports stadium would house evacuees.

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