Crittenden storm donation centers finding tornado victims' needs changing

CRITTENDEN, Ky. - Friday afternoon will mark a full week since a string of devastating tornadoes and high winds tore through the Tri-State.
            
For many of the affected families, their needs for help are changing as they continue to recover. It's something volunteers at the Crittenden Baptist Church are seeing happen before their eyes.

The collection of donated items continues to grow inside the unfinished auditorium at the church. But, clothing is not what many victims are looking for anymore. They now need food to restock their pantries and refrigerators.

"We had lots of folks who lost power and lost all the food from their refrigerators or their freezers, you know," said Lynette Whalen, a valued volunteer at the church.

Even victims who lost their homes and are now placed in new accommodations still lack basic necessities.

"I believe the need now is going to be kitchen items. Things to re-establish kitchens for people who completely lost everything, so we're kinda going into a transition stage from meeting basic needs now to re-establishing households," said Carol Jackson of Crittenden Baptist.

The church estimates it's helped more than 130 area families or anywhere from 400 to 600 people. It's even stocking up on stuffed animals and dolls for children.

Church members say they are starting to see families get help for the first time since the disaster. They say some have to be coaxed into taking donations.

"We've been getting some calls today from some folks who feel they aren't worthy over the things that they've lost because of the damage that's been done. So they really are reluctant to come in and get help with some of the basic needs that they have," said Whalen.

"And we have people coming back when they realize what else they need. One of the challenges that we've had is they aren't quite sure what they need. They're still a little bit in shock, worried about what they need to take because they're worried more about their neighbors," Jackson said.

A town hall forum will be held for Grant County storm victims Friday night to answer questions about tornado relief. The meeting will be at the Crittenden-Mount Zion Elementary School between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. It's located at 270 Crittenden-Mount Zion Road in Dry Ridge, Ky.
    
Families are advised to bring all of their questions to the meeting.