Photo courtesy Salvation Army of Northeast Florida
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Salvation Army of Northeast Florida's canteen (kitchens on wheels) was deployed Wednesday to Live Oak to feed and distribute clean-up and personal hygiene kits to residents displaced by Tropical Storm Debby.
Two additional canteens from the sunshine state are serving disaster victims in Citrus and Wakulla counties. The Salvation Army is are working in tandem with the American Red Cross and regional emergency managers to aid residents in local shelters.
"We wouldn't want to be anywhere else right now," said Lt. Preston Lewis, Salvation Army corps officer for The Salvation Army in Gainesville. He is stationed with the Salvation Army canteen from Jacksonville at a shelter in Live Oak, Fla. He said they served over 400 meals Wednesday and expect to feed even more people today.
Since Saturday, Tropical Storm Debby has dumped more than 20 inches of rain in some Florida communities, flooding roads, highways and thoroughfares.
The Salvation Army asks people who want to help those affected by disaster to visit www.salvationarmyusa.org or call 1-800-SAL-ARMY (725-2769). Monetary donations are needed to meet survivors' most immediate needs. A $100 donation can feed a family of four for two days, provide two cases of drinking water and one household cleanup kit, containing brooms, mops, buckets and cleaning supplies.
First Coast News