Local man honored for volunteer work after Hurricane Katrina

By News Staff

Reporting by Liz Tufts

ltufts@abc6.com

This past weekend marked 10 years since Hurricane Katrina, and while many have rebuilt their lives, many more are still without homes. One local man has made it his mission to do something about it.

A decades worth of pictures, cards, and awards, fill Jim Feeney’s kitchen table in Seekonk, thanking him for his volunteer work in New Orleans.

"Anyone who watched it on TV… watched the Superdome, watching people yelling from roofs… you could not not be effected by that," said Feeney.

His journey with the rebuilding organization, the St. Bernard Project, started in May of 2009, and every year since he has helped rebuild hundreds of homes for families left homeless by Hurricane Katrina.

"To date they have built over 600 homes in New Orleans," he explains.

Year after year, Feeney has packed his bags and headed down to New Orleans hoping to give victims another chance at life. But he admits, 10 years later, work still needs to be done.

"They still have more than 100 people today on a waiting list that are still struggling to get back home," he says.

Last week Feeney was presented with the Volunteer of the Year award, and whle he says he’s not deserving of it, the many "thank you" notes from families he’s helped show just how big of an impact he’s made.

"People always say, ‘why don’t you just forgot about New Orleans?’ Well, it boils down to one thing, and one thing only, it’s home to someone. They just want to get home.  Imagine that? They just want to get home," he explained.

The organization has also helped families rebuild in Joplin, Missouri, and in New Jersey, after Hurricane Sandy. Feeney also plans to head down to Texas to help the victims of the recent flooding.

© WLNE-TV 2015