Ollie Dixon, in red apron, catered Sunday’s dinner at the Linden House
Gary's YWCA is an unsung hero, a haven in the aftermath of the storm
Contributed By: The 411 News
A lifesaver to the Linden House, a 58-unit 3-story building for senior citizens
All I can say is we’re thankful and lucky, said Caren Jones, executive director of the YWCA of Gary.
The Y, 150 W. 15th Avenue, never lost power from the August 11th storm that crippled Gary and northwest Indiana.
For more than a week, Gary’s city hall and other municipal buildings were without power, making the Y the city’s disaster recovery center.
The American Red Cross had a shelter there with 100 beds.
The Y hosted charities that were supplying hot meals to the public.
Inside the Y, you could take a shower and on some days, get a free haircut.
Kym Mazelle, center, didn’t need to be asked and volunteered at the YWCA, bringing some materials from her classroom to keep young children busy. She got help from Georgetta Stewart, left.
The Y attracted other agencies, organizations and businesses who gathered in the parking lot next door to help out with storm relief.
A huge relief effort came from NIPSCO (Northern Indiana Public Service Company) and its partners on Monday, August 17, delivering hot meals for lunch and dinner, bags of ice, tarps, and water. At NIPSCO’s Mobile Command Center, mobile communication and medical devices could be recharged.
It was a lifesaver to the Linden House, across the street. The 58-unit 3-story building for senior citizens was without power for nearly 7 days. Many of Linden House residents depended on the Y for meals.
On August 16th, the day before power was restored, Linden House resident Ollie Dixon catered Sunday’s dinner.
Dixon is a newcomer to Gary and a building resident for about a year. “When my church family in California heard about our situation, they wanted to help. So they donated money for the dinner,” she said.
The residents could get breakfast and lunch at the Y, Dixon said, but they needed evening meals.
Earlier in the week, Ollie organized a building cookout. Residents shared food from their kitchens and Ollie did the grilling.
“We are family here at the Linden House,” Dixon said. “And the best message is loving on people, feeding people, and showing kindness.”
When a NIPSCO official held a press conference with Gary Mayor Eddie Melton on August 19th, the number of NIPSCO customers in his city without power numbered 22,000.
By Friday, August 21, the number of Gary customers without power was down to 20,000.
Paul Garrett is one of them. The utility company estimates power will be restored in Gary by midnight Tuesday, August 25th.
Except for a large tree stump, Garrett’s yard is clear of the debris from a tree that knocked down a fence and the tree that fell and damaged part of his roof.
Garrett said insurance will replace the fence and repair the roof. Clearing away the tree stump is going to be costly and he will have to pay for it.
Garrett’s teenage neighbors were helping to clear storm debris from his yard Friday afternoon. The siblings – Allianna Izeta, Ilyah Elliott, and Eli Elliott—moaned the power outage meant it was too hot, too many mosquitoes and the loss of Wi-Fi.
Eli, Ilyah, Paul and Alliana clean up around the tree stump that Garrett said removal will be costly. Bricks from the yard lay on top of the stump
Story Posted:08/23/2026
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