April 5, 2010, The Garden of Prayer by Han Nguyen

Today, Shirts Across America volunteers were recruited to help the Garden of Prayer congregation gut one of its facilities for future use as potential warehouse space for St. Bernard Project.

The facility served as a community fitness center in its life before Katrina. Because more than 60 percent of Garden of Prayers congregation was unable to return to their homes after Hurricane Katrina, the building remained virtually untouched for nearly five years.

Dried mud is caked on everything. Plastic house plants, chairs and paperwork dangle from the ceilings -- exactly where the floodwaters left them in retreat.

This building is a stark reminder of the great work left to be done in Greater New Orleans.

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Not Fit for Fitness
A view of the ground floor of the Southern Athletic Club from the balcony. The white panels of the balcony still bear the waterline from the devastating flood.

Motion
The lobby of the Southern Athletic Club sees physical activity for the first time in five years since Hurricane Katrina filled the entire ground floor with raging flood water.

Spin Class
Bicycles sit stationary in the former spin class room. Silhouettes of Shirts Across America volunteers light up the room with activity.

Out with the old...

A Shirts Across America volunteer tossing mold-infested, mud-caked carpet into a dumpster.

Learn more about SBP partner, Shirts Across America www.shirtsacrossamerica.org.

Click to see more photographs from this project.