LAURINBURG – Traffic through the old McDonald Brothers Lumber parking lot was steady — and generous — as cars dropped off much-needed items to help victims of Hurricane Harvey.
By 10:30 a.m. Thursday, one of two tractor trailer trucks at the site was already a quarter full. By 4:30, it was half full and loading had begun on the other trailer, according to the event’s organizer Bo Frizzell.
Residents and members of the Laurinburg Police Department and Scotland County Sheriff’s Office volunteered to unload vehicles as donations poured in.
Local businesses and residents have stepped up to make sure Harvey’s victims have what they need to take them through the next few weeks as they begin to clean up and rebuild their lives.
Ellen Futrell brought cases of water.
“They need anything they can get, lord bless them,” said Futrell who heard about the event at her church’s prayer meeting.
A steady flow of people from as far away as Rockingham came through the site Thursday morning bringing items like water, paper towels, shampoo, cat and dog food, hand sanitizer, washcloths, baby and adult diapers, baby bottles and even a breast pump according to Angie Kersey who volunteered her morning to help with the effort.
Kersey also suggested that donations of over the counter medications, paper plates, and plastic utensil would be needed.
Sheriff Ralph Kersey has made arrangements to deliver the supplies to the Newton Texas Police Department where Kersey, a representative from the Laurinburg Police Department and Bo Frizzell and Leonard Frizzell will hand out the items to residents on behalf of Scotland County.
“The Newton Police Department even sent me a friend request on Facebook and they’ve been watching the progress and sharing the pictures all day,” Frizzell said.
Local business stepped up to show their support as well, according to Frizzell.
Honda Sports Cycles in Rockingham donated $1,000 toward the cost of fuel to drive the trucks to Texas.
Other businesses are donating goods and services. Carolina Container has donated boxes to package items. Nic’s Pick Kwik, Nature’s Way Landscaping and Arron’s furniture have donated water. Carolina Crate and Pallet donated pallets to stack supplies.
Cascades contributed products as well.
“Cascades called us and said come on out.They filled up a truck with half a load of paper towels and half toilet paper, so now we have three trucks” Frizzell said.
Scotland County Humane Society dropped of pet supplies for stranded animals who are the often-over-looked victims of natural disasters.
The city of Laurinburg has donated a dumpster to the site to help with excess packaging and waste.
Local churches have stepped up to give too, according to Frizzell.
UNC Pembroke and St. Andrew’s University are also collecting donations to help stock the trucks, according to Judith Curtis, professor of Journalism at UNCP.
The CARE Resource Center will collect items at UNCP which will be delivered to Laurinburg.
Frizzell had faith that county residents would heed his call to help, but he was overwhelmed at the generosity shown on the effort’s first day.
“It’s just amazing. I don’t even know the words for that,” an awestruck Frizzell said. “You wouldn’t believe the love that had poured through here today.”
Frizzell reminded residents to “keep on coming” because the trucks will be parked at the site until they are filled.
For information or to volunteer, call Frizzell at 910-334-2760.
Fifty Texas counties have been impacted and 30,000 people are currently in temporary emergency shelters, according to Texas officials.
The storm made landfall on Friday in Rockport and demolished homes, businesses, churches and government buildings before it moved inland. Harvey poured more than 25 inches of rain and as much as 30 in some area and left Huston inundated by flood waters.
The Salvation Army estimated that it had provided over 5,000 meals in Houston by Tuesday afternoon.
