County comes together to help
Less than a week after Hurricane Katrina devastated parts of the Gulf Coast, Columbia County residents had several ways to aid the hurricane victims.
Those efforts include:
- The Columbia County Emergency Services Division has coordinated with area churches to load an 18-wheeler with donated items to be transported to the Gulf Coast area during the week of Sept. 21.
Donations of new items may be dropped off at Wesley United Methodist Church, 825 N. Belair Road, Evans, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 9 a.m. to noon Friday; and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday.
- The Church of the Holy Comforter in Martinez will give its entire offering today to Episcopal Relief and Development, which is already assisting the hurricane victims. Checks are to be made out to Holy Comforter and earmarked for ERD.
The church also will look into the possibility of joining with a church in one of the affected areas at a later date to help provide assistance.
- Harlem is accepting donations for hurricane victims to be divided between Golden Harvest Food Bank and the Red Cross.
Donations can be made at Harlem City Hall, the City Annex Office, the Laurel and Hardy Museum, and the Harlem Police Department.
- Hope Soap, the sister charity to the It's Spooky to be Hungry food drive, is seeking donations of personal hygiene and toiletry items that will be trucked to survivors.
Donation drop-off sites in Columbia County are The Columbia County News-Times office in Evans and Wild Birds Unlimited in West Town shopping center in Martinez.
- Lakeside Middle School designated last Friday as Pajama Pants Day in an effort to raise funds for the hurricane victims. The fundraiser will continue this Friday with Hat Day, with students urged to bring in cash donations.
If the students raise at least $3,000, Principal Felicia Dumas will spend a day in the school's display case.
North Harlem Elementary Principal Kirk Wright has challenged his pupils to raise $2,000, and if they are successful he has pledged to walk to school from his Evans home.
In addition to fund drives, the school system is helping students displaced by the hurricane. By Thursday, the school system had enrolled about 10 students from the affected areas of Hurricane Katrina.