At St. Joseph Church in Tontitown, the Knights of Columbus Council 4538 are also working to provide donations for the victims of the tornado. Eric Pellin, grand knight, said, "We decided to set this up while watching the coverage on the local news. The response has been good. We are using the social media like Facebook to get the word out for donations. On Facebook we have a list of items to donate and a date to deliver the donations. Right now we are waiting on the next Red Cross truck to become available so we can take our donations in."
Mercy Medical Center in Rogers also organized a drive with the assistance of the local media. The hospital is part of the Sisters of Mercy Health System along with St. Joseph Mercy Health Center in Hot Springs, St. Edward Mercy Medical Center in Fort Smith and St. John Regional Medical Center in Joplin.
Clark Ellison, vice president of Mercy Health Foundation, said, "Heavy promotion from the radio stations and two TV stations allowed this to be a huge success."
After working to secure a semi-truck and the manpower to do a three-day drive, Mercy Medical Center set up the donation drive in the hospital parking lot at 7 a.m. Tuesday, May 24. One important factor in the success of the drive was "to find a recipient organization that could take the donated items and assure us that they would benefit families in Joplin," Ellison said.
These relief organizations include Ozark Harvest Group headquartered in Springfield, Mo., and Grace Baptist Church, the lead distribution center for the Red Cross in Joplin.
The hospital donation drive filled two semi-trucks and two smaller trucks.
"It's very heartwarming to see the people drive up here, open their car doors and hearts to people they don't even know. There were people of all ages donating. The best one was a 3-year-old boy that got out of his car, grabbed a package of diapers and carried it to our sorting area. We live in a very blessed community, full of generous individuals and corporations," Ellison said.
"The residents are immensely grateful for any and all help, and we plan on being there again this Saturday and every Saturday that we can for the entire summer/fall and then some," DeLeon said. "They will need our help for a very long time and they should not be forgotten."
Printed with permission from Arkansas Catholic, newspaper for the Diocese of Little Rock, Ark.