Starkville is mobilizing to help her tornado-ravaged neighbors.
In addition to the usual suspects such as the Red Cross, Salvation Army and the Oktibbeha Starkville Emergency Response Volunteer Service, churches and businesses are organizing efforts to assist towns as near as Mathiston and Smithville and as far as Tuscaloosa.
“It”s great proof of how generous Mississippians are,” said Megan Burkes, development and communications officer for the Northeast Mississippi chapter of the American Red Cross.
Since the hardest-hit areas, like Smithville, remain closed to volunteers, the majority of local efforts revolve around collecting donations and supplies. However, First United Methodist Church in Starkville does have members undergoing training in order to send a team of volunteers into the field after the search and rescue missions wrap.
“They asked people to stay out and let them assess the damage,” said Lynn Berch, FUMC Starkville administrator, of emergency management crews in Monroe County. “Today we have a group (from the Mississippi Methodist Conference) training pastors to help those people.”
The Rev. Dr. D. Scott Wright, Tupelo District disaster response coordinator for the Methodist Church, said those teams will likely be dispatched to Mathiston, Houston or Cumberland to aid in debris removal, securing exposed buildings and assisting families and individuals in gathering and moving belongings from damaged homes.
Wright said similar efforts are underway through the Methodist Church in Alabama.
“We”re not planning to send teams to Tuscaloosa. Our boat is full right now,” he said.
Methodist Church officials said Friday teams could mobilize through Webster County as soon as Saturday but likely won”t be allowed into Smithville until next week.
OSERVS Director Becky Wilkes was already in the field Friday, picking up limbs at her mother”s house in Mathiston, which was missing its roof, with a handful of volunteers. She said a Starkville Boy Scout troop was due to join in Saturday, adding to the list of unexpected help.
“We had folks out handing out water and sifting through debris,” said Wilkes. “People are so willing to help. My mother”s driveway is shaped like a horseshoe, and my grandson cut the trees on one end to let us in Thursday. Friday the other end of the drive was cleared and we don”t even know who did it.”
First Baptist Church in Starkville is packing up gear right now, but not for its volunteers. Dr. Tom Jenkins, minister of music at FBC Starkville, said the church is partnering with Lowndes County churches to deliver Backpacks of Blessings, backpacks stuffed with gender- and age-specific toiletries and personal supplies as basic as socks.
Jenkins said FBC may send work teams out to Webster and Clay County, as well, but the primary focus for now is filling the backpacks.
Supply donations can be dropped off at the FBC main office.
But local businesses aren”t letting nonprofits and churches hog all the good will. Dave”s Dark Horse Tavern and Rick”s Cafe Americain both collected donations and canned goods through the weekend. Dave”s even offered drink specials to anyone who brought in a donation.
Southwire will continue the supply effort through next week as it parks its Project Gift 18-wheeler at the Starkville Walmart Monday through Wednesday from 6 a.m.-6 p.m. Donations of paper goods, cleaning supplies, blankets, coolers and non-perishable foods will then be delivered to tornado victims. And Cadence Bank locations will do the same, accepting bottled water, canned food and hygiene items, as well as school supplies for the students of East Webster High School Monday through Saturday.
Despite the bulk of Starkville”s effort focusing on nearby towns, Starkville hasn”t forgotten its fellow college town across the state line.
Mississippi State University sent a convoy of generators and tractors to Tuscaloosa on Thursday, and the MSU Student Association is conducting a supply drive in the Dawg House in the Colvard Student Union through 5 p.m. Monday.
“The SA wanted to do all we could to reach out to our fellow students at the University of Alabama. They need supplies to help people who lost their homes and also to help volunteers,” said Rhett Hobart, SA president. “Next week we”ll take a big MSU box truck over there full of supplies. A small group of students will also go to help sort the supplies. Then we hope to send a large group of students later next week to volunteer.”
The SA supply drive is seeking toiletries and diapers.
Jason Browne was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 33 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 33 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
