Donate Supplies for Hurricane Kits
With the hurricane preparedness sales tax holiday currently underway, the AmeriCorps Disaster Preparedness Team at Okaloosa-Walton College is asking the community to lend a hand by purchasing extra supplies to donate to a hurricane disaster kit project.
Donations will be accepted now through June 15. The AmeriCorps team will assemble and distribute the kits during presentations to special-needs citizens in the Okaloosa and Walton county area. The group needs enough donated supplies for 150 to 200 kits.
Items needed are:
- Flashlights
- Small battery operated radios
- Small and large sized resealable storage bags
- Manual can openers
- Band-aids
- Gallon size jugs of water
- Backpacks
- Non-perishable foods items, such as granola bars and energy snacks
- Monetary donations
A drop box for donated supplies will be outside the Student Activities Office located on the OWC Niceville campus in Building K. Those who wish to contribute financially may do so by check to the OWC Foundation noting on the memo line “AmeriCorps Disaster Kit Project”.
About OWC's Americorps Disaster Preparedness Team
The OWC's AmeriCorps Disaster Preparedness Team was formed in January 2007 to assist and educate elderly, disabled, and non-English speaking citizens on how to prepare for emergency situations and respond to disaster needs in the Gulf States. Team members, in partnership with local relief agencies, give presentations on what to do before, during, and after a disaster strikes. Members also complete courses in OWC’s Emergency Administrator and Manager Certificate program while working 40-50 hours a week at local non-profit agencies such as the Bridgeway Center and the Retired Senior Volunteer Program.
OWC’s AmeriCorps Disaster Preparedness Team Members serve for one year and receive a taxable living allowance and a scholarship to attend classes in return for their service. Current team members are Kristen Aycock, Hamp Campbell-Work, and Wanda Jewell of DeFuniak Springs, Jessica Bolen of Freeport, Sherry Brown of Paxton, Ryan Duval and Kizza Lopez of Fort Walton Beach, Jessica Griffin of Eglin AFB, Ashley Curry and Luisa Hantla of Niceville, and Dana Maloy of Crestview.
For more information on the AmeriCorps Disaster Preparedness Team or on how to make a donation, contact Rebecca Russell, program specialist, at (850) 729-6024 or at russellr@owc.edu.