Since Hurricane Ida swept across southeast Louisiana on August 29, devastating the bayou parishes located outside of the levee protection system, businesses and people from New Orleans have stepped up to help.

At Courtyard Brewery, owner Scott Wood and his team organized an effort to gather supplies and deliver them directly to the people in need.

“I first saw a post on Instagram from Elizabeth Gelvin,” Wood said. “She’s a regional disaster response coordinator who was organizing a mutual aid effort for the people in the lower parishes who lost everything. From there, I decided to get involved, just to see what I could do to help.”

Donations are loaded into trucks at Courtyard Brewery, photo courtesy of Courtyard Brewery

Wood helped gather supplies and he had enough space at his brewery to create a drop-off station. He took to Instagram and Twitter and asked people to drop off donations, and made plans to pack a 20-foot box truck daily and drive it down to areas most affected by the storm, places like Houma, Raceland, and Point-Aux-Chenes.

“We started with physical donations because there’s less chance of mismanagement,” Wood explained. “People can see what we are collecting and where it’s going. We’ve started a Venmo account that is completely separate from our business. All of that money will go towards buying more supplies when the physical donations slow down.”

However, the donations don’t seem to be stopping anytime soon. Wood’s brewery is packed to the brim with everything from water and gasoline to feminine hygiene products, paper towels and cleaning supplies. Everything being brought to the affected parishes has been donated by people in the community.

“The bulk of donations is coming from regular people—locals,” Wood said. “I know that there’s only so much New Orleanians can give, but I’ve seen people come and donate even though they don’t have power or they have storm damage that they are dealing with themselves. People really want to come together and help.”

Wood said people have been coming from as far as Indiana and Philadelphia to lend a hand and donate what they can.

“It’s been beautiful to watch people show up for people in need that they have never met. A lot of people in New Orleans got lucky [with Ida]. I think that people are grateful and are ready to help people who maybe weren’t so lucky.”

One of the people helping in the effort is Wood’s nine-year-old son, Jules. He has been enjoying being a part of the recovery effort.

“When he helps, I ask him why we are doing this and he says, ‘Because it’s the right thing to do.’ Getting out here and staying active with this effort has been good for people’s health. Everyone has been showing kindness; it’s been beautiful to watch.”

The Courtyard Brewery, 1160 Camp St., [email protected]

Hours: Monday through Thursday 4 p.m. until 11 p.m.; Friday through Sunday, 11 a.m. until 12 a.m.