Board member James Allen gets involved with hurricane relief effort
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Lipscomb University Board of Trustees member James Allen and the Destin (Fla.) Church of Christ are leading an effort to provide funds to meet the daily living expenses of persons affected by Hurricane Katrina in the greater Gulfport-Biloxi areas.
Because so many individuals lost not only their homes but their jobs as well, few have enough available cash on hand to provide for daily necessities, Allen said.
The knowledge that checks may not be forthcoming from FEMA for as much as 60 days moved Destin church leaders to step into the gap. Allen is an elder at the church.
"We know from our own experiences with hurricanes Ivan and Dennis that hit in our general area that both FEMA and the insurance companies are not going to come up with any cash in the next three to four months, more than likely," Allen said.
"We're having a special collection this Sunday. We've challenged our small church of about 225 members to come up with $100,000," Allen said.
The church is working with elderships the Mississippi Gulf Coast - Gulfport, Biloxi and Ocean Springs - which have already identified approximately 50 families who have lost their homes and are in the process of identifying others. The church plans to send $5,000 cash gifts to each of the families to help them through the interim until relief checks arrive, Allen said.
Persons wishing to assist should send checks to Destin Church of Christ earmarked to "hurricane victim relief" and mail them to the church at 150 Beach Road, Destin, FL 32541.
"One hundred percent of anything they give for this will go straight to victims. There's no charge of any kind, and that has been very appealing as we've talked to a lot of folks about ways to help. "The needs are overwhelming," he said.
Destin Church of Christ is a designated evacuation center now housing approximately 50 evacuees from New Orleans, Allen said. The church is working with Methodist and Baptist churches in the area to provide meals and shelter.
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