Show of Support

The Good Samaritan Society Ellsworth Village is doing what it can to help victims of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma by packing and shipping supplies to residents in Houston, Texas.

Jessica Kootz, director of senior housing and marketing at the Good Samaritan Society Ellsworth Village, said the administrator, Crystal Packard, received an e-mail from the head office, the National Campus for Good Samaritans Society. Upon receiving the e-mail, Packard forwarded it to her staff to make sure they participated.

Hurricanes have ravaged the Gulf of Mexico and much of the southeast United States coastline from Texas to the Carolinas.

Hurricane Irma devastated the Caribbean and much of the Cuban Islands before making home on the state of Florida. Millions lost their homes and to date are without power and much of what many need to survive for days.

Organizations are working day and night to try and combat the symptoms of such destruction and are trying to preserve life at all cost.

Just weeks ago, Hurricane Harvey flooded and ruined much of the Texas coastline that boarders the Gulf of Mexico. As a whole, billions of dollars in damage has occurred, tens of millions have been forced from their homes due to flooding or wind damage, and there has been a slight loss of life but is still to early for agencies to accurately determine the total number of people that possibly lost their life.

After two weeks the people of Houston and the surrounding areas are very much still feeling the effects of the storm. Over a million people were forced from their homes and are in need of help. Some are just able to return to examine the damage.

A letter was sent by Kootz to residents of the community and surrounding areas with a list of supplies needed for the hygiene kits.

“The response has been amazing,” said Kootz.

Once enough kits are together Kootz said they will ship them south to the Denton Village, a Good Samaritan Society facility in Denton, Texas. From there they will be handed out to victims so they can take care of their hygiene needs during this difficult time.

If a community member wants to donate, be sure to check the supply list. The American Red Cross and other emergency response teams are not accepting certain items and are only looking for particular donations.

The items the Good Samaritan Society Ellsworth Village is collecting are:

• Hand Towels — 15 inch by 25 inch or 17 inches by 27 inches. Kitchen, cleaning and micro fiber towels are not accepted.

• Washcloths.

• Adult Size Toothbrushes — must be in original packaging. Also no multipacks.

• Adhesive bandages — ¾ inch to 1 inch.

• Bath size soap — 3 ounces and larger, no Ivory or Jergens. Do not remove from packaging.

• Combs – Must be sturdy and longer than 6 inches.

• Metal nail files or nail clippers.

• Toothpaste. Can be purchased at Good Sam for $1.

• One plastic bag — gallon size sealable bag only.

• All items must be new or in original packaging if applicable, and unwashed.

• All items total a $12 value per kit.

All donations can be dropped off at any of the Good Samaritan buildings here in Ellsworth or call (785) 472-3167.

The compassion and generosity of the American people is never more evident than during and after a disaster. It is individuals, non-profits, faith- and community-based organizations, private sector partners, and governmental agencies working together that will most effectively and efficiently help survivors cope with the impacts of such a devastating storm.

Please follow a few important guidelines below to ensure your support can be the most helpful for the hurricane disaster survivors.

This list is was provided by FEMA news.

The most effective way to support disaster survivors in their recovery is to donate money and time to trusted, reputable, voluntary or charitable organizations.

Cash donations offer voluntary agencies and faith-based organizations the most flexibility to address urgently developing needs. With cash in hand, these organizations can obtain needed resources nearer to the disaster location. This inflow of cash also pumps money back into the local economy and helps local businesses recover faster.

Please do not donate unsolicited goods such as used clothing, miscellaneous household items, medicine, or perishable foodstuffs at this time. When used personal items are donated, the helping agencies must redirect their staff away from providing direct services to survivors in order to sort, package, transport, warehouse, and distribute items that may not meet the needs of disaster survivors.

Donate through a trusted organization. At the national level, many voluntary-, faith- and community-based organizations are active in disasters, and are trusted ways to donate to disaster survivors. Individuals, corporations, and volunteers, can learn more about how to help on the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster website.

Texas VOAD has a list of vetted disaster relief organizations providing services to survivors.

To ensure volunteer safety, as well as the safety of disaster survivors, volunteers should only go into affected areas with a specific volunteer assignment, proper safety gear, and valid identification.

At this time, potential volunteers are asked to register with a voluntary or charitable organization of their choice, many of which are already in Texas and supporting survivors on the ground.

The National and Texas VOAD websites are offering links to those who wish to register to volunteer with community- and faith-based organizations working in the field.

Most importantly, please be patient. Although the need is great, and desire to help strong, it is important to avoid donating material goods or self-deploying to help until communities are safe and public officials and disaster relief organizations have had an opportunity to assess the damage and identify what the specific unmeet needs are.

Volunteer generosity helps impacted communities heal from the tragic consequences of disasters, but recovery lasts much longer than today. There will be volunteer needs for many months, and years, after the disaster, so sign up now.

To help any state effected by the storms you can also visit www.FEMA.gov and click on the disaster link.