NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. — An organization that gives weddings and wedding gowns to military and first responders is going through a difficult time. Last week’s flooding in the Merrimack Valley destroyed their warehouse in North Andover.
Brides Across America founder Heidi Janson says they lost 80% of their inventory from the flooding last week.
[ ‘It was coming out of walls:’ North Andover declares local state of emergency after severe flooding ]
“Pretty much everything’s a loss, we didn’t have flood insurance, so this is really devastating to the organization and trying to keep our mission going,” said Janson.
This warehouse is full of thousands of wedding gowns, most of them now ruined in mud and mold from all that water.
This non-profit has gifted more than 28,000 wedding gowns to military brides, first responders and covid healthcare workers over the years.
Brides Across America has also hosted two dozen weddings so far.
They’re based in North Andover, but they’re a nationwide non-profit that ships gowns to brides across the country.
‘Never seen anything like this’: North Andover hit with torrential rains, flooding
Now they’re scrambling to figure out what to do for their fall brides, and they’re hoping people will donate both money and dresses to keep their non-profit going.
“It might seem like a small thing even just 10 dollars, but that will go a long way in the end game because this is a big mission, we’re a small team with a big mission and we’ve been doing this for 15 years,” said Janson.
At this point, their focus is still on cleaning up all the mold and water damage inside their building.
They also have a GoFundMe page set up where they appreciate any donations to keep their non-profit running.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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