LAKELAND, Fla. — Organizations in Polk County, which Hurricane Helene spared, are stepping up to help their neighbors.
Faith-based Lakeland nonprofit One More Child was preparing for disaster relief before the storm made landfall.
“We’ve been prepping for a while trying to receive as much as we could in of water and ready-made meals and cleaning supplies. As the storm came through, we were preparing where we would go and who we would serve,” said Craig Parrow, Executive Director of Operations for One More Child.
Parrow said that since Friday, his team has distributed more than 130,000 pounds of food, over 100,000 diapers and wipes, cleaning supplies, and hygiene products to storm victims in Florida, North Carolina, and Tennessee.
“We actually have staff in Tennessee and North Carolina. We have some program presence there. We’ve been able to use them along with some other partners we have there. Some nonprofit partners like churches have stepped up to do distribution,” Parrow said.
Volunteers who have been in the warehouse daily since the storm hit want survivors to know that people care about them.
“I’m fortunate enough myself that I did not need help. I know there are a lot of people out there that are hurting and need a lot of help. We are here for them,” said Darlyne Stone.
The nonprofit relies on donations from grocery stores, but its resources are being stretched.
They're accepting donations to help them continue to bring relief to those devastated communities.
“The needs have increased of course with this crisis and we’re stepping up to meet the need any way that we can,” Parrow said.
The massive piles of debris littering communities across the Bay Area are not likely to end soon. We went to Town n Country, Baycrest, and Dana Shores to see how those areas are coming together.
