Lowndes County was largely spared the wrath of last month”s devastating tornadoes, residents have not gone untouched. Some had friends and family who were directly impacted. Others didn”t know a single person involved, but they responded anyway. Some gave money. Some gave time. Most gave something.
Local charities say it”s impossible to completely gauge the complete fiscal and volunteer response, but there are a few things we know — it”s still growing.
Emily Williams, project and volunteer coordinator at the United Way, said people have brought in so many non-perishable items that now they are having to store them.
The town of Smithville, where many of those supplied were destined, is so blanketed in bottled water and canned Spam that they”re now serving as a central distribution site for less fortunate communities like Hackleburg and Phil Campbell, both in Alabama.
Williams said the United Way has already taken two fully loaded, 18-wheeler trucks to Smithville, and when the town depletes its excess, they will send more.
The big need for United Way now is volunteers. Williams said nearly 100 people have showed up to lend a hand over the past two weeks.
Yesterday, members of the Heritage Academy baseball team came to United Way to work in the warehouse. Earlier in the week, Capt. Dave Caswell, an instructor pilot at Columbus Air Force Base, brought 20 men to help load and deliver the first shipments to Smithville.
For Williams, the United Way post is her first job out of college, and this is her first chance to see local disaster response. Actions like that of the Air Force cadets have touched her.
“Several captains just took charge,” she said. “They want to keep going up on weekends, and they don”t even have that much free time on their hands. I was absolutely amazed by their heart. I”ve been so proud of Mississippi.”
Now, she”s looking for people to drive to Hackleburg to help with cooking and cleanup.
“We go week by week, because the needs change so rapidly,” she said. “People always need water, but they also need sleeping bags and tents, because many are staying on their properties.”
As time passes, the need for monetary donations also grows. People will need money to rebuild not only their homes, but the storm-ravaged businesses that keep small town economies afloat.
Columbus automobile dealer Carl Hogan immediately saw that need and quietly donated $30,000 to United Way on behalf of Monroe County. Before that, he distributed $500 checks directly to several impacted churches.
“That area is so close to here, and we have a lot of customers up there,” said Clyde Rhea, general manager at Hogan”s Chevrolet dealership. “He just felt like it was right in his backyard, and he wanted to help. A lot of times, when something like this happens, they get an overabundance of clothes, but what a lot of people need is cash, and that”s harder for them to get their hands on.”
Monetary donations like Hogan”s are difficult to track. When United Way finance director Michelle Avant tallied the numbers for the Dispatch, she had estimated $2,600 in donations — the majority of which she said came from the organization”s Market Street Festival booth.
Hogan”s $30,000 check wasn”t mentioned. Turns out, he donated it directly to the United Way in Monroe County, not Lowndes. For every person who opens their wallet, there is a different place where the money could end up.
Avant said even though money earmarked for the United Way will still end up reaching its final destination — the tornado victims — the path it takes varies widely.
Cadence Bank is accepting donations earmarked for United Way. They could then send the money to Monroe County”s branch or give it to Lowndes County. Or they could send it to one of their bank branches in another town, which could then send it to their local United Way.
“It”s really hard to tally that information,” Avant said. “Everybody”s not communicating together. We”re not sure how much has been given.”
Either way, as long as it”s earmarked for the tornado fund, Avant said it will reach its intended destination.
Maggie Potter, bookkeeper for The Salvation Army in Lowndes County, reports $6,407 in monetary donations at the local office. But many donations have probably gone straight to the main headquarters, she said.
For every person who wants to give, there are a multitude of paths to choose.
Columbus chiropractor David Saum is beginning a program which allows clients to give a $30 donation to tornado relief and receive a full consultation, exam, X-rays and a written report. It”s a service for which he normally charges between $240 and $270.
But office manager Inez Saum, his wife, said he believes strongly in giving back to the community, plus it”s a way for them to play a part in the humanitarian role.
“We”re in the office all day, so we can”t get out and physically help,” she said. “We figure if we can help out with the monetary, then we”ll be matching parts in this, too.”
Even Lowndes County”s youngest residents have found small ways to contribute.
In Caledonia, Autumn Bigham, 8, and Bailey, 7, are collecting cans. This past weekend, they gathered 31 bags of cans from one of their drop-off locations at the Caledonia Quick Stop. At Lone Oak, they picked up another 20 bags. Later in the week, they”ll pick up more from the fire stations in Columbus.
It”s time-consuming and mileage-intensive to gather the cans, and it doesn”t reap eye-popping dollars right away — it takes about 30-35 cans to make 60 cents — but the girls” mother, Brittany Bigham, said she doesn”t mind helping them with the project.
She has always raised them to save cans in order to earn extra money, so when they were at a cousin”s house in Wren, picking through storm-damage and marveling at all the cans among the debris, the idea occurred naturally to them.
“Gas is getting expensive, but if the kids want to help, I”m going to let them help,” Bigham said.
She said she is proud of them for their kind hearts. Last year, they lost their home and toys to a house fire. She thinks the experience, and the outpouring of support they received, taught them the beauty of selfless giving.
“When Japan had the tsunami, they were digging through toys, trying to find stuff to send. When they told me they wanted to help, it just broke my heart. They know helping is the right thing to do.”
Carmen K. Sisson is the former news editor at The Dispatch.
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