A total of 15 pallets full of supplies were collected within Pearl River County and delivered to the victims of Hurricane Harvey earlier this week.
Picayune Fire Chief Keith Brown said the supplies came from a variety of sources, from community members, Resurrection Life, Manna Ministries and Ramey’s in Poplarville.
Six of those pallets were collected in the Picayune area.
“Overall we want to thank the community who brought enough supplies to make up six pallets of supplies,” Brown said.
Five other pallets came from donations from residents in the Poplarville area, and Pastor Allen Hickman provided four additional pallets of supplies, Brown said.
Transportation of the supplies was provided by the Pearl River Community College, who donated the use of an 18-wheeler and driver.
The donations included peanut butter, sandwich crackers, ramen noodles and bleach. Brown said Manna Ministries also donated about 10 mattresses.
All of the supplies were delivered to the victims Wednesday, Brown said.
He attributed the success of the effort to what Pearl River County residents experienced in 2005.
“We want to thank everyone for being so gracious. I think everyone remembers what it was like,” Brown said about local experiences after Hurricane Katrina.
District I Supervisor Donald Hart said Ramey’s of Poplarville donated empty pallets and shrink wrap used to prepare the donations, in addition to four pallets of water.
Cash donations provided to the effort were used to purchase the peanut butter and bleach pallets, Hart said.
As far as any efforts to assist those expected to be negatively affected by incoming Hurricane Irma, Hart said the county is waiting to see what will be needed before starting that effort.