Fire Destroys Working Wardrobes Headquarters in Irvine - 10AM News Conference on Monday, February 3
Local Non-Profit Facility Providing Work Attire and Training to over 105,000 Job Seekers since 1990 Loses Building and Donation Inventory to Fire
ORANGE COUNTY, Calif., Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- We will hold a press conference at 10 am on Monday, February 3, at Goodwill Fitness Center at 1601 E St Andrew Pl. Santa Ana, CA 92705.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
On Sunday, Feb. 2, 2020 at 5:50 a.m., a fire broke out at the Working Wardrobes headquarters located at 1851 Kettering Street, Irvine, California. It was several hours before firefighters could access the building. Everything has been destroyed by this fire and we are working closely with the Orange County Fire Authority and Irvine Police Department for more details.
"We are absolutely devastated by this catastrophic loss, the heart of our operations is gone and so is 30 years of history," said Jerri Rosen, Founder and CEO, after the fire. "We are grateful and relieved to report that no one was hurt or in the building at the time of the fire."
STATEMENT OF FACTS
Approximately 100 firefighters were at the scene
OCFA Public Information Officer Capt. Tony Bommarito was onsite
No injuries were reported
Working Wardrobes has been in this 22,000-square-foot building since 2016
Everything has been destroyed, including:
Donation Center: Large warehouse filled with racks, bins, and boxes filled with thousands of donations. Including jackets, pants, shirts, blouses, ties, shoes, jewelry and additional accessories. Home goods, office supplies, etc.
Career Center: Computer labs where clients worked to research and apply for jobs online, training rooms and IT computer lab. Plus, the VetNet team and program for veterans, SCSEP program for seniors, all client services for women, men, young adults, and all wardrobing services.
Corporate Office: Entire operations of Working Wardrobes
We are determined to work with our employees, volunteers and the Orange County community to rebuild and continue to fulfill our purpose of helping men, women, young adults and veterans overcome difficult challenges so they can achieve the dignity of work.
NEXT STEPS FOR US
Financial donations are what we need the most to rebuild and continue to provide services to veterans, seniors, and unemployed get back into the workforce.
To make a financial donation, please visit: https://workingwardrobes.org/donate-money/
Our friends at Goodwill have stepped up to provide a temporary home in one of their facilities at 1601 E St Andrew Pl. Santa Ana, CA 92705. We are so grateful for their support and partnership. Much will change for us over the next few months as we start our journey over, but we know the strength of our friends and supporters will buoy us.
We need volunteers to help get our new temporary home set up. Please contact [email protected] or call (714) 210-2460.
We will release a list of our needs for donations soon, please contact (714) 210-2460 for more details.
MORE ABOUT WORKING WARDROBES:
Working Wardrobes is Orange County's foremost career development nonprofit, championing on behalf of at-risk men, women, young adults, and veterans to help them achieve the Power of a Paycheck.
The organization was founded in 1990 by CEO/Founder Jerri Rosen. This is Working Wardrobes' 30th anniversary year. Over that time, with the help of our Orange County community, we've been able to help more than 105,000 people overcome barriers to employment and achieve the Power of a Paycheck.
For more information please visit, http://www.workingwardrobes.org
Please direct media inquiries to Devon Poer, Marketing and Public Relations Manager at [email protected] or (949) 558-4145.
SOURCE Working Wardrobes
Share this article