Special to Lake Okeechobee News
Our Village Okeechobee is gathering supplies to help Floridians impacted by Hurricane Ian.
Supplies are being gathered at Hibbets Sports, located in front of Walmart, for Ft Myers. A group will be heading over this week with a truck and trailer load to the Ft Myers area.
Someone else is taking a truck and trailer toward the small communities of Ona, Zolfo, and Wauchula.
If you can’t get to the store, bring money to Our Village and they will do the shopping for you.
Needs include:
-- Water and nonperishable food,
-- Tarps and materials to secure the tarps,
-- Cleaning supplies such as brooms, rakes, mops, buckets, cleaning solutions, and bleach,
-- Household products such as: toilet paper, paper towel, wet wipes, toiletries,
-- Household items such as towels, sheets, washcloths, blankets/sleeping bags,
-- Clothing/undergarments: packed in bags by size. Make a list, place the list of contents in a Ziploc bag and lay it inside the top of the bag. Fold everything nicely, so it’s easy to unload the bag and have it ready for people to go through.
"I load up a bag with nicely folded size 18-20 womens clothes, and I put a sheet of paper with the writing large to show them 18-20 WOMEN, in a gallon size Ziploc," explained Leah Suarez. "I have been doing disaster distribution dating back to Hurricane Andrew. Nothing is more frustrating than having your kids hanging from your legs, trying to go through a big pile of mixed up clothes!"
All donations can be dropped off at Our Village. 205 NE Second Street.
