United Way accepts hurricane donations

Beginning today, United Way of the Ouachitas, 233 Hobson Ave., will serve as a drop-off location for tangible donations in a communitywide effort to provide relief to Hurricane Laura victims.

“People normally want to be a part of a solution and help and contribute and give back, they just don’t know how,” UWO Executive Director Sarah Fowler said. “We usually collect supplies for a couple of weeks and then we partner, usually with The Salvation Army locally, that then partners with Oklahoma City

on a plan on where it’s best to distribute those items.”

Items that will be accepted include bottled water, first aid kits, nonperishable food items, diapers, cleaning supplies, baby food, tarps, dog and cat food, face masks and hand sanitizer.

Monetary donations will be accepted, but tangible items are preferred. Clothing donations will not be accepted.

“We always do relief supplies for tornadoes or hurricanes and Louisiana kind of falls within our region, so we do whatever we can to assist our neighbors in need,” Fowler said. “Anything helps, whether it’s a single case of water or a flatbed truck full of water. There’s nothing too large or too small that can create impact in someone else’s life that’s been affected by Hurricane Laura.”

She said all United Ways will likely be doing relief efforts for the hurricane because it’s part of the organization’s mission.

“One of the things United Way believes in is when we reach out a hand to one, we improve the condition of all, which is exactly what relief efforts — whether it’s hurricane, tornado, flood — we’re happy to do whatever we can to assist another community in need,” Fowler said.

“We just all kind of try to work to meet not only our own needs, but when you have something this catastrophic, we all try to work together to meet the needs … of our local part of the United States because we know this is going to be a massive cleanup effort,” she said. “We currently, already, have half a million people without electricity … if not more by now. We anticipate that to grow as it moves up through Louisiana and into Arkansas.”