ANDOVER, MASS. (WHDH) - A North Andover-based nonprofit this week showed support for veterans, first responders and healthcare workers headed to the altar with its first wedding dress giveaway event since flooding hit the organization’s warehouse earlier this year.
Brides to be spent the day Thursday searching for the perfect dress with family and friends by their side.
Held in Andover, this week’s event came a matter of months after Brides Across America’s warehouse was flooded back in August.
“We don’t have a lot of extra funds right now for the wedding, so this is a very huge thing for me to be able to come and get a wedding dress,” said Karissa McFadden, a nurse.
Flooding in August ruined hundreds of wedding dresses that were supposed to be donated.
Speaking with 7NEWS, Brides Across America Founder Heidi Janson said about 80% of the organization’s inventory was destroyed.
“The last few months have been devastating,” Janson said. “…Little by little, we’re finally back into our existing warehouse space and trying to get reorganized.”
Since its founding in 2008, Janson said Brides Across America has expanded its mission to help even more heroes in need.
“We first started off with military and then we evolved to first responders after the Boston bombing,” she said.
Then, Janson said, the organization added COVID-19 healthcare workers.
Now, even after a difficult year, Janson said Brides Across America is not giving up, now looking forward to continuing its mission of supporting heroes and putting smiles on brides’ faces.
“Wedding gowns are expensive already, so it’s our little gift to say thank you for really sacrificing their lives to support our country,” she said.
Brides Across America has gifted more than 28,000 wedding dresses to military and first responder couples, to date.
Learn more about the organization through its website.
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