South Georgia rallies to help hurricane victims

Published 5:02 pm Tuesday, October 16, 2018

VALDOSTA — The Valdosta area is stepping up to the plate in helping the victims of Hurricane Michael.

South Georgia residents and organizations are taking donations and sending all the help they can raise to areas of north Florida and southwest Georgia, which were ravaged last week by the storm.

• Shaun Eikenberry, owner of Winnersville Fitness, headed to Conttondale, Fla., Sunday with chainsaws to help clear debris and handed out water and other goods. He’s planning to make another run to Cottondale and Grand Ridge, Fla., Thursday and to Colquitt this weekend.

“We started out last week asking members for donations,” he said. 

Items particularly needed include water, paper goods, diapers — “the larger ones because you can always put a larger diaper on a small baby but not the other way around” — and pet food.

“Pet food is one of those things people run out and buy before the storm, but now they’re going to start running low,” Eickenberry said.

He said the aid runs will continue for as long as they are needed.

Donations can be dropped off at Winnersville Fitness, 1711 Norman Drive, Valdosta. 

• A small convoy of trucks carrying relief supplies to the Florida coast leaves Berrien County this weekend, said Wendy Morris of Martin Motors in Nashville.

The intention is to head for Port St. Joe, Fla., in Gulf County Sunday then await word from officials to see if it’s safe to head west to Mexico Beach, Fla., a coastal town which was ground zero for the Category 4 hurricane. The city suffered massive damage, and the main coastal road from Port St. Joe to Mexico Beach, U.S. 98, was heavily damaged.

“We’ve vacationed down there for years,” Morris said. “The lady we rented from lost it all.”

Several tractor-trailers carrying everything from box lunches to drinks donated by Pepsi are scheduled to leave Nashville Sunday. The trucks are being donated by the Badcock Home Furniture store in Nashville, Morris said.

Items still needed include tarps for roof repair, drop cords and nails, she said.

“Any type of small tool is needed … officials asked for more chains for chainsaws,” Morris said.

Donations will be taken at Martin Motors, 709 S. Davis St., Nashville, through 5 p.m. Friday, Morris said.

• The owners of Smallcakes Cupcakery in Valdosta have already pitched in to feed Hurricane Michael’s victims.

Upon finding out how bad things were, Scott Clark loaded up his grill and set out for small towns in storm-ravaged areas to provide hot meals to those who needed them, said his wife, Summer.

“He’s trying to reach smaller towns where it’s likely power will take longer to restore,” she said.

Scott Clark has already fed hundreds in Donalsonville and Colquitt and is planning to head to Marianna, Fla., Summer Clark said.

The Clarks are taking financial donations through a Venmo account on their Facebook page, she said. Donations should be made out to the Clarks and not to the Smallcakes Cupcakery. Sunset Farm Foods donated 150 pounds of sausage to the Clarks, said company president Tom Carroll.

• More than a thousand Red Cross disaster workers are on the ground across Florida, Georgia and Alabama, providing safe shelter, meals, water, comfort, professional health and mental services and relief supplies such as infant formula and cooking charcoal, according to a statement from Terri Jenkins, executive director of the American Red Cross of South Georgia.

The Red Cross is operating three shelters in Georgia for storm victims in Albany, Thomasville and Bainbridge, she said.

The best way to help the Red Cross help others is with a financial gift, Jenkins said. People wishing to donate money can contact Jenkins or can make a quick $10 donation by texting “MICHAEL” to 90999, she said.

The Red Cross office in Valdosta is located at 509 N. Patterson St. The phone number is (229) 242-7404.

Terry Richards is senior reporter at The Valdosta Daily Times.