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Where are tornado donations going?

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Photographer: Anthony Mirones
Copyright 2012 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Posted: 04/26/2012

By: Anthony Mirones, Anthony.Mirones@wcpo.com

CRITTENDEN, Ky. - Nearly two months after the deadly EF-3 tornado twisted through Northern Kentucky, donated items are still needed to help survivors. Crittenden Baptist Church (CBC) in Grant County has begun offering the left over goods to various organizations so that the long term relief effort can continue.

The tornado touched down in the Harvesters subdivision, in the most Northern part of Grant County, where it began its trek all the way to the Ohio River town of Moscow, Ohio in Clermont County. It destroyed practically everything from trees to houses to lives as it mangled its way to the Ohio River town of Moscow in Southern Clermont County, Ohio. The twister originally formed as an EF-3 and strengthened to an EF-4 by the time it spun through Piner, Ky.

Crittenden Bapstist Church Volunteer In the days following the storm, CBC set collected clothes and other supplies to give to the survivors, as part of its mission of helping the community. Church member, Carol Jackson, was amazed at the response from residents, churches, and other organizations.

"It became a non-stop convoy of items being donated at the door," said Jackson. "It was just a phenomenal outpouring of community support hat just mushroomed into a full blown operation in the matter of about three days."

CBC had recently added a new 12,000 square foot building that connected to the original facility by a corridor. That hallway is where the church had initially set up to receive and distribute items, but the donations became so plentiful that the church leadership requested that the Grant County building inspector, Terry Conrad , approve an emergency occupancy permit, to use the unfinished building.

"Not only did it become a full-time job, it became a full-time operations," said Jackson.

The unfinished building, within a matter of days, was running like a business, according to Jackson.

There was shipping and receiving, customer service, staffing and purchasing.

"We weren't purchasing, we were just requesting and the 'invoices' were being filled," said Jackson.

makeshift office for tornado relief The group used social media to spread the word about what items that were needed, from certain sized clothing to specific baby formulas. Volunteers were scheduled and organized in what appeared to be a seamless flow of professionalism that enabled tornado survivors to feel welcome and and appreciated.

"We've received several Thank Yous from people who were impacted or saw what was going on and felt the need to comment on it," Jackson said.

The community's need had lessened after two weeks, because folks had found new places to live and insurance checks had arrived. That is when CBC shut its doors and started looking for organizations that could be helped by 12,000 square feet of clothing, food, toiletries, electronics, dinner ware and other various supplies. NKy Community Action Commission Center Grant County

"All of the clothing, we were overwhelmed with, actually went to Master provisions , and they have distributed to other areas that need it as well."

On Thursday, the Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission (NKCAC) in Grant County stopped by CBC to pick up items to further its mission."

"We are doing the long term recovery for the tornado disaster victims, so this stuff will come in handy for [nearly] six months down the road," said the Grant County NKCAC center manager, Carrie Pugh.

Copyright 2012 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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