Volunteers Provide Basic Necessities For Displaced Vista Shadow Mountain Residents & Their Pets

Volunteers are helping the 86 families who are living in hotels after they had to move out of the Vista Shadow Mountain Apartments, due to unsafe living conditions. 

They're working to make sure they have food, toiletries, and kitchen supplies, as they search for a new place to live. 

In addition to getting former tenants those basic items, volunteers and nonprofits are also rescuing pets that were left behind in the rush to move out.

Basket after basket is being filled, and the deliveries to Lyndsey and Joey Reyes' home have been nonstop all day, as the two work to make sure people are getting exactly what they need.

"This one is ready to go for a mom that has three kiddos and is staying in a hotel without a kitchenette," said Lyndsey.

Lyndsey and Joey run the nonprofit James Mission. Last week, they helped residents move out of the Vista Shadow Mountain Apartments at 61st and Memorial after the fire marshal deemed it unlivable.

"The stories are heartbreaking, and it continues," Lyndsey said.

Right now, they're trying to fill 86 baskets for families scattered in hotels, while they search for new homes. A church youth group delivered these starter baskets, now Lyndsey and Joey are adding items like shampoo and toothpaste from an Amazon Wishlist.

"Our goal is to get everything in by Saturday and deliver Saturday evening or Sunday," Lyndsey said.

"We mobilized within two or three hours," said Jamee Suarez with the Oklahoma Alliance for Animals. "The show of volunteers was so amazing."

Jamee Suarez and Frances Giesson with Prairie Pet Coalition said they and many other volunteers spent the weekend searching every single unit for pets left behind. They found some pet cats and are also spaying and neutering feral cats living there.

"Cats and dogs can be hiding in the closets," Giesson said. "We had to look through all of it."

The volunteers say they're just helping neighbors in need.

"Completely blessed over and over with this," Lyndsey said.

If you'd like to help out, click here.