How you can donate to those affected by Portage tornado

Rachel Van Gilder
·4 min read
How you can donate to those affected by Portage tornado

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — You can now drop off donations to those affected by the EF2 tornado that rushed through the Portage area on May 7.

Gryphon Place has opened a donation center at 9246 Portage Industrial Drive off of Shaver Road, the city announced Tuesday. It will be open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Inside woodtv.com: Southwest Michigan tornadoes

The donation center is accepting:

  • First Aid Supplies (kits, band-aids, over-the-counter meds, PPE, Hand Sanitizer, etc.)

  • Baby/Infant and New/Expecting Mother Materials (diapers, baby wipes, other baby essentials, formula, lactation supplies, children’s bath materials, new/expecting mother materials, etc.)

  • Paper Products (toilet paper, paper towels, body wipes, flushable wipes, etc.)

  • Repackaging/Moving Materials (grocery bags, packing tape, bubble wrap, etc.)

  • Hygiene Items (shampoo/conditioner/body wash, black hair care products, toothpaste/toothbrushes/floss, razors, deodorant, combs/brushes, Q-Tips, soap, hygiene packs, family planning, adult diapers)

  • Cleaning Supplies (Clorox/disinfecting wipes, cleaning solutions, garbage bags, laundry detergent, dish soap, buckets/mops/brooms/dustpans, cleaning rags, etc.)

  • Household Items (batteries, flashlights, etc.)

  • Pet Supplies (pet food, cat litter, puppy pads, bowls, leashes, etc.)

  • Recovery & Building Supplies (work gloves, goggles, face shields, tarps, plywood, construction supplies, tools, etc.)

  • Bulk water

You can also give a gift cards in $50 increments to Meijer, Target or Walmart.

You should not take food or clothing donations to the Gryphon Place site. Instead, you can give food to Kalamazoo Loaves and Fishes at 901 Portage Street in Kalamazoo. Call 269.488.2617 ext. 218 to organize particularly large food donations. Donations of clothing, toys, small appliances and furniture can be made at Goodwill centers in the region.

Déjà Vu Showgirls on Ravine Road in Kalamazoo says it will collect donations of men’s socks, underwear, T-shirts, pants, toiletries and personal hygiene items through Saturday.

The Kalamazoo Community Foundation and the United Way of South Central Michigan have both established disaster relief funds in the wake of the storm:

Portage leaders have also directed people to the Michigan Volunteer Registry to find out how they can help.

HOW TO GET HELP

If you’re someone affected by the tornado and in need of help, you should call the new Donations Hotline at 269.251.2211. That hotline launches and pickups will be available starting Wednesday.

When people call the hotline, they will have to provide their address, phone number and a list of needed items. Volunteers will then get donations ready and they will be delivered by the Salvation Army. They may also be available for pickup.

‘Thought we were gonna die’: Tornado destroys homes, businesses in Portage area

If you need food assistance, call Loaves & Fishes at 269.343.3663 or email info@kzoolf.org.

You can also email Goodwill at gethelp@goodwillswmi.org to apply for a voucher to help replace things you lost in the storm.

Two Multi-Agency Resource Center events are scheduled for the coming weeks to connect people with aid from at least a dozen groups, the American Red Cross said:

The Department of Health and Human Services will have case workers at the Portage Community Center on E. Centre Avenue from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday to help people fill out applications for state emergency relief funding and food aid benefits.

THE STORM

Packing winds of up to 135 mph, the EF2 tornado carved an 11-mile path from Texas Township through Portage and into Pavilion Township on May 7. There were a few minor injuries, but no one was killed.

At least 60 buildings, most of them homes, were destroyed. Another 129 buildings sustained major damaged, a preliminary damage assessment found.

At least 60 buildings destroyed in Portage tornado

The city of Portage has an online tool that allows people to see before-and-after images demonstrating the damage.

Those who are cleaning up can find dumpsters at Oakland Drive Park and Celery Flats Historic Area. You should not leave trees, branches or vegetation in the dumpsters; they are for building debris or household items. The city is still working out curbside collection details.

The city’s composting facility will be closed to the public effective Wednesday because it’s nearing capacity.

Portage is posting updates on storm response and recovery on its website.

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