Flood & General Recovery Fund

On Sunday, September 11th, 2022, the Racine area received over 10" of rain in about 10 hours. This unprecedented amount of rain in such a short time caused flooding in our store. We literally had a river running through the store. With more than 70% of the first floor being carpet, the water spread throughout 90% of the main level. Anything that was wood or touching the floor sucked up water for about 10 hours.

We didn't lose a whole lot of inventory, but we did lose our entire cash register line including electronics, all our display cabinets, wood display shelving, and about half of our used furniture inventory. We do have insurance so we thought all was good. Until the morning of 9/20 when we received the call that the loss would not be covered. The water entered the building through the roof. However, the leaks and holes in the roof were not determined to be caused by the storm. The cause was improper maintenance and failure to upkeep the roof of the building. All the seams on the north end of the building's second floor were all worn out and separated. The extreme amount of water was too much for the damaged roof to hold. Thus, the water came in, found it's way into the wall, came down to the first floor, then spread out from there. Just like an indoor in-the-wall waterfall.

Our losses won't prevent us from being open. We reopened the next day and shoppers came and browsed among fans and dehumidifiers, supporting us in any way they can. However, we cannot afford to replace the lost fixtures. After the pandemic, road construction, the fire, and now this, we've spent the last 2 years just playing catch-up. We know that the economy is tough right now and it's nearly impossible for most to donate financially. We ask that if you can't donate, please consider shopping or making a physical donation of clothing, home goods, etc. There's an extensive list on our website of what we do and do not take for donations.

Fosters reStore is a division of My Foster Kids Foundation Inc. We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide no-cost clothing to foster kids. We do this through our thrift store and fund the organization through the sales of items to the public. Our community relies on us and we rely on our community. Please help us continue our mission in the most effective and efficient way possible.

All donations are tax deductible.