Marshall County helps counties affected by disaster

On April 27, several tornadoes occurred in Texas, Oklahoma,andKansascausing multiple fatalities and injuries. The storms impacting the towns of Ardmore. Holdenville, Sulphur and Marietta in Oklahoma the most.

Reports of tornadic winds reaching up to 170 mph in Marietta left a path of devastation to be cleaned up by locals impacted by the tornado supercell. As is the collective spirit of Marshall County residents to lend a helping hand, multiple endeavors went underway to assist in any way possible.

Marshall County residents know first hand how devastating tornadoes can be making the outreach all the more personal. Everyone from Marshall County FFA and 4H, local non profits like Hope for Marshall County (HFMC) and local business owners pulled together resources with the help of donations and a lot of volunteers to show support for those impacted by the tornados.

Gwen Wilson, the director of Hope for Marshall County said MC residents have helped towns up north.

“HopeforMarshallCounty has had people from Tulsa to Cordell, and numerous cities up north donate to help and we're blessed to bring in a semi of 37,000Lbs of food working with Todd Collier from DFW Food Source to help out our neighbors,” Wilson said.

Wilson also said it couldn't have been done without the help of the volunteers.

“Brenda Little Williams of Oklahoma Rescue Rangers, Cleveland Walmart, The Lisa Bain Ministries, The Heart Church, Real Okie Superheroes, Wookies Tattoos, Dollar General corporation, Ardmore ACT home school students, and lots of teen volunteers to helped deliver and pass out items.”

Other donation and relief efforts in the area were underway at the newly opened, Unrooted and Barbell Mafia, as well as the soon to be opened Sprocket Revolution. In the midst of getting ready for grand openings at two of the three locations, owners Misty Witt of Unrooted, Chase Barry of Barbell Mafia and Kevin Witt of Sprocket Revolution opened their spaces to allow volunteers to set up operations.

Volunteers like Jessica Folsum who helped coordinate collections and distribution efforts with additional volunteers like Kingston High School students John Erwin, Isaac Hahn, Ryan Meek and Dakota Sliger. They helped load the truck donated by Choctaw Nation to deliver donations to Holdenville full of items from pallets of waters donated by Boomgards and Fastenal in Durant to trash bags, diapers, dog and cat food, sunscreen, bug spray.

There were monetary donations from as far away as Hawaii with people coming as far away as Moore, Okla. to make donations.

Whitt said that she has seen her share of devastation and knew she had to help those affected.

“I am originally from Moore so I have been through my share of tornados,” Wittsaid. “I know when you are devastated and you have nothing, the outpouring of support is so appreciated. I couldn’t sit and do nothing, so I had to do something to help out.”

Witt stated that her family had a connection to the Sulphur areas as well from spending time at the family vacation home nearby at the Lake of The Arbuckles growing up and that seeing the devastation on the news promptedhertowanttoreach out and help.

“Seeing the devastation on the news and seeing the people and knowing what they would need was why I wanted to do it,” Witt said.

Witt explained that the monetary donations would be used with clean up and recovery efforts.

“With the cash donations we have gotten we are going to get totes, because as people are finding things they can salvage they need totes, bubble wrap, tape; stuff like that to go pack their items.”

Witt also talked about the importance of non perishable food item donations, especially in Marietta where the only two places to get groceries, the Homeland and Dollar General were both wiped out, making them a “food island”.

“The food donations have beengreat,'Wittsaid.'Those little snacks, the things they can have with them that will not melt when it is out in the heat,sotheyhavethingsclose by. As they are doing their clean up, it is not always easy for them to get from their house over to a donation spot so it has been great that the stuff can go directly to these homes and know that it is not going to melt or spoil.”

Wilson said that with the help of a group out of Tulsa, they were able to purchase 20 Chromebooks for Sulphur students and will give those out soon.