A Swift thanks

JIM RYDBOM / jrydbom@greeleytribune.com The smoke and smell of fresh hamburgers surround Swift & Co. employees Michael Herrera, left, and Dewayne Newkirk as they grill lunch for United Way employees. Several area businesses pitched in to give back to the United Way on Friday afternoon by giving employees a free meal.

This week, the community had an opportunity to show its support for United Way of Weld County when the organization that usually helps in a crisis had its own emergency.

Offers of help started coming in Monday after a pipe burst Sunday evening, flooding the organization's downtown Greeley office. The water, which poured down through the ceiling, destroyed at least two computers and caused structural damage estimated to cost up to $25,000 to repair.

Soaked documents, dripping computers and the roar of more than 35 industrial fans and dehumidifiers made it difficult for United Way staff to conduct business as usual this week. But executive director Jeannine Truswell said things could have been a lot worse.

"If it weren't for the security alarm, we would have a lost organization," she said.

Jeff Mauck of All-Phase Restoration, the clean-up company that provided the damage estimate, expects the floors to be dry by Monday. When everything is dry, restoration of the ceiling and floor can begin.

United Way recently expanded its insurance coverage, which will cover most of the damage. Due to lower overhead costs than usual last year, the organization had extra money for its programs, but now that money will be used to pay the $5,000 deductible.

There was concern the damaged building may contain asbestos but tests were negative. Only a small portion of vinyl flooring was found to contain the less dangerous, "non-fryable" asbestos. Mauck said a specialized company will remove the flooring and safely prepare the site for repair.

Yesterday, at the end of a chaotic week, one of United Way's major donors, Swift & Co., organized lunch for the nonprofit. United Way staff, board members, volunteers and even plumbers mingled as they munched hamburgers and soaked up the warm sun.

"United Way touches so many people," said Ruben Flores of Swift. "We wanted to show the staff how valued they are."

Other businesses including Greeley Printers, Pepsi, State Farm Insurance and New Frontier Bank donated food, drinks and paper plates for Friday's lunch.

When Swift laid off 700 employees in December 2004, the company donated $25,000 to United Way to cushion the blow of unemployment.

Together, the groups organized an information fair to connect the laid-off employees to services in the community. At the fair, people signed up for financial support in the form of food and gas vouchers , or rent and utility bill assistance. About 150 former Swift employees benefited from the program.

In April, Swift will lay off another 300 workers, and so far there is no word on whether the company will make another donation to help defray costs for those people.

Even with corporate support, raising enough money to meet the needs of the community is a constant struggle for United Way. But perhaps less of a struggle in Weld County than in other places.

"This community always rises to the challenge," said Sheila Avers, director of children's services for the nonprofit. "There's an amazing volunteer spirit here."

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