Officials and residents from the Town of Sumrall remember all too well the damage inflicted during Hurricane Katrina in August 2005 - but what is more fondly remembered is the generosity and support showed by other communities that donated labor and supplies to help the Pine Belt get back on its feet after the storm.
To repay that kindness, Sumrall officials have teamed up with local churches and schools to collect disaster relief supplies for individuals and businesses who were impacted by Hurricane Ida, which made landfall on the Louisiana coast on August 29 - the 16th anniversary of Katrina.
“After Katrina, we were very fortunate that people took the time and money that provided for our town, and we just want to share the good fortune that we’ve had by missing most of this storm,” Mayor William Joel Lofton said. “We hope that our community will rise to the occasion and show a little love to our neighbors, because that’s what we’re supposed to do.”
Donations needed include:
- Cleaning supplies: air fresheners, bleach, buckets with lids, household cleaners or wipes, clothes pins, clothesline, detergent, disinfectant, dish soap, work gloves, masks, mops, scouring pads, scrub brush, sponges and trash bags.
- Food and storage: breakfast cereal, granola bars, cookies, crackers, jerky, canned meats, peanut butter, trail mix, canned infant formula, baby or toddler food in jars, hard candy, manual can openers, plastic eating utensils, paper plates, paper towels, food storage bags and plastic totes with lids.
- First aid and hygiene: sealed first aid kits, bandages, deodorant, diapers, gauze, sterile gloves, hand sanitizer, insect repellant, ointments, antibiotic, burn relief, soap, sunscreen, thermometer, toilet paper, toothbrushes and toothpaste, and wet wipes.
Donations are being accepted until Sept. 9 and can be dropped off at the Sumrall Municipal Courthouse at 9 City Hall Avenue, behind the post office and adjacent to the police station. Drop-off hours are from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday inside, or at all hours at the outside bin.
Students also can bring donations to Sumrall Elementary School, Sumrall Middle School and Sumrall High School. Town officials will coordinate pickup from the sites and deliver supplies to areas of need.
“If they don’t have a child in school, we would ask that they would bring (the donations) to the courthouse,” Lofton said. “We don’t want to expose anybody at the schools to anybody they don’t have to be around (because of COVID-19).
“But if your kids are going to Sumrall schools and you want to put something in their backpack to drop off, the schools will send out additional information about that. For anyone who does not have students, we will accept them at the courthouse during business hours, and of course we’ve got a drop box outside. So anybody who wants to come by and leave it, that will be fine as well.”
Lofton said officials are hoping for a very good turnout for the supply drive.
“We have a couple of groups in south Louisiana that have some ties back to our community, and we’re trying to work closely with them,” he said. “We hope that we can let them know that we’re here to support them.
“What goes around comes around. We’ve benefitted from others after Katrina, and I think it’s appropriate that we do that for others now."
