Kathy Zwirnmann is the founder of The Warehouse Ministry located at 303 Lake Drive in Texarkana, Texas, a 501 (c) 3 organization to help those in need. She leads a group of volunteers in an area-wide effort to help “Pay it Forward” and is a true hometown hero.
We are extremely proud to honor Kathy Zwirnmann as our Texarkana FYI Hometown Hero for May 2017 sponsored by Wadley Regional Medical Center in Texarkana, Texas.
Ms. Kathy is the founder of The Warehouse Ministry, a 501 (c) 3 organization to help those in need. After a 2 year battle with cancer and losing her job of 28 years due to business closure, she felt it was her opportunity to help those in need of that little extra to help support themselves and their families. In 2012 she opened The Warehouse Ministry and works with the other local non-profit organizations to assist those in need.
Her rotating volunteers spend countless hours sorting and hanging donations of clothing and miscellaneous items to provide assistance to help those that just need that little extra to get by. Her heart goes out to the elderly who are on a limited income and do not qualify for government assistance and find it hard to supply their needs such as cleaning supplies, personal hygiene products, adult diapers etc.
Every year Zwirnmann and Warehouse volunteers organize a Christmas project to help 30 elderly seniors that are nominated by our community by providing new towels, blankets, coats, gloves, scarfs, socks, lotions, cleaning supplies and to stock their cabinets with can meat and vegetables to sustain them thru the winter months.
Ms. Kathy told us,
This would not be possible without the support of the community and the other local organizations in town. Nor could it be done without the many volunteers who work countless hours on their own schedule and pace to do all the work necessary to get the items sorted and ready to distribute to the public. I thank my husband Rudy for being so supportive and patient with my many hours of work and dedication that makes this possible. He is definitely my backbone that holds me up and reminds me why I do this every day.
The Warehouse is only funded by donations and by the support of the community. All clothing donations are sorted, sized, and put on hangers to help quickly locate the needed items. She works on a “pay it forward system”. Nothing donated goes to waste. What is not used is passed on to other organizations to help support their needs. Damaged and stained clothing is sent to mission groups to repurpose into strips to weave into bedding mats. Jewels and bling on clothing are cut off and made into jewelry and sold by women in foreign countries to help provide for their families.
Every Tuesday and Friday, two local church groups provide a meal and distribute it out to anyone who wants to come eat. The lunches feed as many as 150 individuals every week. On Tuesdays, meals are provided by Gospel Lighthouse Church, and on Fridays, the meal is provided by the good people at Heritage Baptist.
The Warehouse is open Monday-Friday 8:30-12 and closed the last week of every month to clean and reorganize. People are allowed to come and shop one time a week, each person is allowed 40 items per person. Donations of goods or money can be made to The Warehouse during their open hours.
As the oldest hospital in Texarkana, Wadley Regional Medical Center has a century-long tradition of providing compassionate, high-quality healthcare. As part of its commitment to provide innovative, quality care, Wadley has pioneered many medical firsts for Texarkana. As the area’s first Joint Commission certified Primary Stroke Center and the first state-designated Level II Primary Stroke Center, Wadley is the area’s leader in stroke care. Wadley was also the region’s first dual designated Level III Advanced Trauma Center by both the State of Texas and Arkansas. Wadley proudly brought robotic surgery to the area with the first da Vinci Si Surgical System as well as many firsts in equipment and services in the Wadley Breast Health Center for diagnosing breast cancer. As a leader in providing progressive healthcare services to our community, it is with great pride that Wadley recognizes all of the local heroes in our community and let them know they are appreciated and respected as our Texarkana Hometown Heroes.