By By Kerry Whipple Bean
publisher
Members of the Brewton Church of Christ, like many across the country, have been riveted by photos of the suffering in Haiti following a major earthquake in the poor island nation.
So the church has organized a relief effort and will be collecting donated supplies to be trucked to Louisiana, where they will then be shipped to Haiti.
Donations needed include batteries, flashlights, medical masks, dried fruit, powdered milk, canned vegetables, rice and beans, Williams said.
Items will be trucked for free to Louisiana, thanks to church members James and Rhonda Smith, who own the local trucking company Express One Inc.
When church members began talking about finding a place to donate supplies for Haitian relief, Williams researched some possibilities.
He found an organization in Lake Charles, La. — Friend Ships Port Mercy — which is a nonprofit humanitarian aid organization. The group sends ships filled with items needed to fight starvation and poverty, to meet people’s needs in time of disaster and to bring medical aid when needed.
Friend Ships Port Mercy’s Web site is located at www.friendships.org.
The organization is staffed entirely by volunteers, Williams said, so there is no administrative cost.
Donations can be taken to the Church of Christ parking lot at 601 Douglas Ave. from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday.
Williams said the church will continue to collect supplies until the truck is filled, but he hopes to wrap up the project within about a week.
WKNU radio station will hold a live remote at the church from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday.
Anyone who makes a donation will receive a coupon for a free McDonald’s Snack Wrap.