Weyerhaeuser Paper Co.

Wednesday, October 25, 2000

Weyerhaeuser Paper Co.’s Austin plant division has helped the efforts to assist local flood victims with a $2,000 donation.

Ron Wise, plant general manager, and Dennis Bray, president of the employees bargaining unit at Weyerhaeuser, made the check presentation last Friday.

Accepting were Nancy Beers, a Lutheran Social Services social worker, aiding flood relief efforts, and Amy J. Baskin, executive director of the United Way of Mower County Inc., which administers flood-relief effort funds.

According to Baskin, the United Way flood-relief fund helped the Salvation Army Austin Corps and Mower County chapter of the American Red Cross to meet the immediate needs of persons affected by the summertime flooding.

"United Way continues to work with victims of the flood through Austin Area Interfaith Disaster Response, an organization of area churches and non-profits, working together to meet unmet needs from the July floods," Baskin said.

Most recently a team from Christian Reformed World Relief was in Austin to assess the unmet needs of individuals in the community.

"They knocked on more than 300 doors in the flood areas," Beers said. "They found a wide variety of needs from furnaces that do not work and damaged furnishings to stress and despair."

The Austin Area Interfaith Disaster Response group will be assessing the findings from the World Relief team and will be trying to help meet those needs, according to Beers.

"The Weyerhaeuser donation is a step in that director," Baskin said, "and will be used to help people right here in our community. We thank Weyerhaeuser for their commitment to our community."