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Two area organizations helping Hurricane Harvey victims
By Kalea Hall
YOUNGSTOWN
Two local organizations joined forces this week to help Hurricane Harvey victims.
Donations have been plentiful, but the need is still great.
“I just feel like the city of Youngstown really pulls together,” said Jessica Robinson, executive director of the St. Vincent de Paul Society in Mahoning County.
St. Vincent de Paul, which has a food pantry and dining hall for the needy, and Humans with Purpose, a newly formed organization to help those in need, discovered each other through social media and are now a team in the Hurricane Harvey recovery effort.
Robinson and Glenniece Bodo, special-events coordinator for St. Vincent, wanted to go to Texas as soon as they watched the videos showing the flooded areas with homes destroyed and people in need.
“We just felt enraged by what was happening there,” Robinson said. “We decided to make a difference and get down there to help.”
The St. Vincent de Paul Society backed the effort and offered the former dining hall location at 208 W. Front St. as a donation drop-off center.
Since last Thursday, St. Vincent has collected hygiene products, unused clothing and nonperishable food.
Cleaning products, monetary donations and gas gift cards to get to Texas are what’s needed most at this point, before St. Vincent volunteers drive down to Texas with Humans with Purpose on Thursday morning.
Humans with Purpose was formed by two friends, Joe Macklin of Boardman and Tom Sanders of Coaldale, Pa., after devastation of the hurricane became known.
“I told my friend Tom if he could get the truck, I will get the donations,” Macklin said. “Getting this accomplished is a real testament to the power of social media and the kindness of complete strangers.”
Macklin and Sanders are already in Texas passing out donations, and have other volunteer drivers helping St. Vincent on Thursday.
St. Vincent’s donations are heading straight to Houston.
“We are going to a poverty-level neighborhood,” Robinson said. “We are going to be totally hands on down there. We are going down to do mission work. It’s answering our call. We are here to help those in need near and far. There’s no limit as to who and how we help.”
St. Vincent’s former dining hall at 208 W. Front St. will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. today to accept donations. For information, call 330-333-3601.