PORTAGE, Mich. — For the last 48 hours, donations have been pouring into Portage's donation management center for tornado relief.
“We are the place where anybody who was impacted in the community, whether they’re a neighborhood or mobile home park, is being served directly on site. They can call us, they can come here, and they can get what they need,” Community Resilience Program Manager for Gryphon Place 211 Renwick Ballew said.
Clothes and food are not accepted at the center. Clothing donations should go to Goodwill, and food donations should be forwarded to Loaves and Fishes, Ballew says. The following donations are what the center accepts:
- Gift cards in $50 increments to Meijer, Target and Walmart so affected families may purchase new items to meet their individual needs.
- First aid supplies (kits, Band-Aids, over-the-counter meds, PPE, hand sanitizer, etc.)
- Baby/infant and new/expecting mother materials (diapers, baby wipes, other baby essentials, formula, lactation supplies, children's bath materials, etc.)
- Paper products (toilet paper, paper towels, body wipes, flushable wipes, etc.)
- Repackaging/moving materials (grocery bags, packing tape, bubble wrap, etc.)
- Hygiene items (shampoo/conditioner/body wash, Black hair care products, toothpaste/toothbrushes/floss, razors, deodorant, combs/brushes, Q-tips, soap, hygiene packs, family planning, adult diapers)
- Cleaning supplies (Clorox/disinfecting wipes, cleaning solutions, garbage bags, laundry detergent, dish soap, buckets/mops/brooms/dustpans, cleaning rags, etc.)
- Household items (batteries, flashlights, etc.)
- Pet supplies (pet food, cat litter, puppy pads, bowls, leashes, etc.)
- Recovery & building supplies (work gloves, goggles, face shields, tarps, plywood, construction supplies, tools, etc.)
- Bulk water
Most needed at this time are pet supplies, especially cat food and cat litter.
The center is open from 10-4.
“We’ve had a lot of folks who are deeply emotional. That’s something our volunteer staff wasn’t prepared for. Just seeing how much folks appreciate even the very minimal that we’ve been able to provide ... I don’t want to say we’ve been giving people what they need. What they need is cash assistance,” Ballew said.
Additional events for resources for those impacted by tornado damage are underway.
Information is below:
Tornado Resource Events by WXMI on Scribd
Tornado Resource Events, Spanish by WXMI on Scribd
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