DONATION DRIVE FOR STORM VICTIMS THIS WEEKEND
OEM partners with Tennessee Titans, Bridgestone-Firestone, Pallet Warehouse, Hands On Nashville and the Adventist Church
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (February 8, 2008) -
The Mayor’s Office of Emergency Management is partnering with local organizations to host a donation drive this weekend to benefit victims of the deadly storms that swept through several Tennessee counties earlier this week.
The drive will take place Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the east-side parking lots of LP Field. Volunteers from Hands On Nashville and the Adventist Church will help collect donations, which will be loaded onto pallets donated by Pallet Warehouse and transported in tractor trailer trucks supplied by the Bridgestone Americas Emergency Response Team (B.E.R.T.).
Several Tennessee Titans players and cheerleaders will be on hand as celebrity volunteers on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
“While Nashville was very lucky to have only suffered minimal damage from this week’s storms, we certainly know what challenging times our neighboring counties face in the weeks ahead,” Mayor Karl Dean said. “I’m calling on all of our citizens to give what they can to help the hundreds of families across our state now working to put their lives and their communities back together.”
The following new or slightly used items have been requested for donation: flashlights, batteries, non-perishable food, bottled water, shoes, socks, hygiene products, cleaning supplies, diapers, baby formula, baby wipes, towelettes, hand sanitizer, work gloves, pillows, trash bags, clean blankets and linens, tarps, fencing supplies, coolers, brooms, wheelbarrows, and tools, such as hammers, rakes, shovels, chainsaws and other hardware.
Hands On Nashville is also the designated volunteer coordinator for storm relief efforts out of Nashville. Over 700 individuals have already offered to assist in Williamson, Sumner, Trousdale, and Macon counties.
“We have received overwhelming community response in just the past 48 hours, which positively speaks to Middle Tennessean’s spirit and general willingness to help others in need,” Brian Williams, executive director of Hands On Nashville, said.
For media inquiries contact:
Janel Lacy
(615) 862-6020
janel.lacy@nashville.gov