DeSoto County responds with help for Helene victims
Photo: The semitrailer truck parked in the north parking lot of Tangers Outlets in Southaven is receiving donations for Hurricane Helene victims in East Tennessee through the weekend. (Courtesy photo)
DeSoto County residents are looking for ways to assist those affected by Hurricane Helene. Several groups and organizations are coming up with ways to send aid and money to those in the Southeast who are finding homes demolished by the winds and heavy rains.
One group coming together will be receiving goods for one town in south Georgia. They will be going to Douglas, Georgia, a small rural town that organizer Dara McIngvale said has been devastated by the hurricane.
“Very quickly we were blessed with contacts and opened doors to help a little rural town in south Georgia,” said McIngvale. “This has happened very fast.”
With the connections, McIngvale’s group will be accepting donations at Hernando High School in Hernando over the weekend through Monday, Oct. 7.
McIngvale said a 53-foot long tractor trailer has been secured with a desire to fill it before sending it to Georgia,
The truck will be available for donations beginning Friday, Oct. 4 at 3:45-5 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 5 and Sunday, Oct. 6 from 3:30-5 p.m.; and Monday, Oct. 7 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and 3-5 p.m.
“The needs are overwhelming but to know we can be a small part is everything,” she said.
Here is a list of what McIngvale said is needed:
- WATER
- DRINKS WITH ELECTROLYTES
- NON-PERISHABLE FOOD
- CANNED FOOD (POP TOPS PREFERABLY)
- PEANUT BUTTER
- INDIVIDUAL PACKETS (condiments)
- CRACKERS
- SOAP
- CLEANING SUPPLIES
- SHAMPOO
- TOOTHPASTE
- TOOTHBRUSHES
- TYLENOL
- DIAPERS (BABY AND DEPENDS)
- WIPES (BABY AND BATHING)
- PRE-MIXED FORMULA
- FANS
- GRILLS
- CHARCOAL
- GENERATORS
- GAS CANS
- CONTRACTOR BAGS
- WORK GLOVES
- TARPS
- CHAINSAWS
- SOLAR POWER CHARGERS
- GIFT CARDS (Lowes, Walmart, Publix)
Another semi-trailer truck is now parked at Tanger Outlets Mall in Southaven to accept donations that will go to victims in East Tennessee. The truck will be there through Oct. 8. This is an effort in partnership with JNJ Express, Southaven Chamber of Commerce, and Northwest Mississippi Community College. The truck is being parked in the north parking lot of the mall area near the Nike outlet store. Donation items needed are: non-perishable food, snacks, ready-to-eat meals, and bottled drinking water; toiletries, soap, detergent, disinfectant, hand sanitizer, and feminine hygiene products; toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, Q-tips, combs, hairbrushes, shampoo, and conditioner; diapers, wipes, formula, baby food, and rash cream; rags, mops, brooms, scrub brushes, and garbage bags; charcoal, gas cans, and new unopened toys. When donors arrive at the parking lot, they are asked to call 405-886-5970 for access to the truck.
More help is coming from SideCar Southaven and Memphis that both have semi trucks in their parking lots taking donations for hurricane victims in Tennessee. Bumpus and Southern Thunder Harley Davison are both helping. All items are going straight to a church in East Tennessee that will distribute the items to avoid government bureaucracy.
