Meet Laura Gorecki

Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Gorecki.

Hi Laura, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started volunteering at a soup kitchen while in grad school. Upon graduating with my Master of Public & Nonprofit Administration, I took a position as a Grant Writer at a large homeless shelter in Dallas, TX, and later became the Director of Operations. While working there, I witnessed countless people from the encampment down the street use the shelter’s outdoor faucet as a place to bathe. I decided then that if I was ever going to create a nonprofit, it would be mobile showers. Fast forward a few years and a move to Charlotte, and I saw a posting seeking volunteers or board members for Project Outpour Mobile Showers. I met the founder, who had started operating the showers in 2019, but Covid had shut them down. She had moved on to another role and needed someone to take over. I quickly learned how to drive the truck/trailer, started fundraising, and in February of 2021, Project Outpour started operating our shower trailer on a regular schedule. At first, it was just me and a couple of volunteers, first one day a week, then two days, then three, etc. We now have 2 part-time staff, several amazing volunteers, and 6 weekly locations, and we are going strong. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has been tough! Some days we didn’t have volunteers, and I was by myself operating the trailer, cleaning the showers, and taking care of guests. Some days no one came for showers, The organization almost ran out of funds because I didn’t have time to fundraise and run the showers; we had a flat tire on the trailer. Our water heater froze and had to be replaced, causing the showers to shut down for several days. We took turns washing the towels at home every day for months. It is better now, but still tough; the work is physically demanding, and we work outside all day, rain or shine. The work is also emotionally hard, being with people in crisis, seeing families with young children living in their cars or outside, and never feeling like you can do enough. But it steadily gets easier as we build a support system of staff and volunteers, and the community has been amazing at supporting our work. 

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I started out volunteering at an animal shelter in 2009. I got really involved and learned all aspects of the shelter, from development to animal care to operations. I fostered so many dogs and puppies! This experience started my journey in the nonprofit world and inspired me to go back to college to learn how to lead in nonprofit organizations. While in school, I volunteered at several different kinds of nonprofits to see where I wanted to dedicate my time upon graduation. One of those was the soup kitchen I mentioned earlier, where I first met people experiencing homelessness and got to know them as individuals. My unique combination of managing people in my first career in the private sector, combined with fundraising, program, and operations experience in nonprofits has given me the opportunity to take on some really impactful work on Domestic Violence, environmental issues, and of course, homelessness. I am most proud of my work to end homelessness for many of the individuals we work with. I love that we make the experience while moving through homelessness less traumatic for the people we serve. People who know me know that I am dedicated to ending homelessness and that my heart is with the people who I work to serve. 

What makes you happy?
It makes me happy to know that people care about homeless individuals, total strangers, people they will never meet, enough to provide funds to make sure those people can take a shower. One of the most fundamental things that most of us take for granted is a luxury for our unhoused neighbors, but is so important. My garden also makes me happy. It is a place where I can be at total peace and be totally present. Also, puppies make me happy. You cannot be in the presence of a bunch of puppies and not be happy. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://projectoutpour.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/projectoutpourclt/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/projectoutpourclt
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/project-outpour
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ProjectOutpour