Donations: Providing funds to aid South Carolina flood victims
To Date, with support from it’s donors, Disaster Aid USA has provided $20,598.00 to aid Rotary District 7770 in it’s flood relief work.
Home Works is a non-profit that repairs homes using volunteer labor. Home Works has received funds from District 7770 to use as seed money to buy materials to do a repair blitz to repair 10 flood-damaged homes. A majority of the labor is being provided by District 7770 Rotarians.
Palmetto Project Food Hub is also a non-profit that provides inside-the-home types of supplies to flood victims. Palmetto has received funds to buy mattresses that they have given out to flood victims. District 7770 Rotarians helped unload the mattresses when they arrived at the Flood Hub facility and provided labor to get the mattresses to the people once they were vetted by the Flood Hub organization. At the Flood Hub, flood victims can receive counseling as well as cleaning supplies, clothing, cooking utensils, linens, furniture, etc.
District 7770 Rotary Clubs have been encouraged to “adopt” a family whose home was damaged by the flood to help them get back on their feet. The Flood Hub vets the families, and the clubs reach out to them to ascertain what the individual family might need. $1,000 is donated to each club that has “adopted” a family with the expectation that the club would more than match this amount to help the family. Rotary District 7770’s Governor Rod Funderburk said, “Our clubs are finding that every family is different and one size does not fit all.” They are working to have additional families “adopted” and to get as many of the District clubs and individual Rotarians involved as is practical. This is a long-term project.
District 7770 continues to focus on helping flood victims. The St. Bernard Parrish organization is now in South Carolina with a long- term commitment to help in the repair of homes. They are initially partnering with Home Works. Rotary’s District Governor Rod said “We as a district will be supporting that effort. Our goal is also to have our clubs adopt more families, so that we help as many people as possible with the limited funds available.”