Donation sites set up to help Alabama tornado victims. How you can help.
PANAMA CITY — “It was unrecognizable.”
That’s how Rochelle Walker Murry described the drive through her hometown of Selma, Alabama, just days after a deadly tornado swept through the area on Jan. 12 — destroying everything in its path.
“The pictures on the news don’t really justify what’s going on there,” Murry said. “There were historic buildings that have been there for years that have been destroyed, and the biggest thing that hurt me was seeing that a lot of my family and friends didn’t have anything to go back to.”
Born and raised in Selma, Murry, is a receptionist at the Rodeway Inn in Panama City and said she knew she had to help the people in the place she once called home. So Murry collaborated with Rodeway Inn’s Director of Operations Nirav Banker to start a donation drive for the tornado victims.
Banker said it just felt right to help because Panama City was in a similar situation after Hurricane Michael and remembers the outpouring of support the city got from other communities.
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“When Rochelle described the devastation to me, without hesitation, I was thinking of what we could do to help out,” Banker said. “Having experienced the devastation of extreme weather events ourselves, we feel compelled to do what we can to help our Alabama neighbors.”
In addition to monetary donations, they are asking for cases of water, canned goods, snacks, baby products (wipes, pampers, blankets, formulas), socks, blankets (old or new) and clothes (old or new).
Two donation sites are set up at Rodeway Inn in Panama City and Days Inn in Callaway and will be accepting donations through Feb. 9. Collected donations will be delivered Feb. 11 to Elwood Community Church in Selma, one of the central distribution sites for the donated supplies.
During their visit, Murry and Banker said they plan to engage with the Selma community.
“I want them to know that we are there for them, so just being there and talking to people to brighten up their day could go a long way,” Banker said.
“We want to be more effective in the community,” Murry said. “I want to make sure no one is left without getting what they need, so many of us are volunteering our time and vehicles to help deliver these items to the people who may not be able to get them themselves.”
This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Panama City woman supports hometown through donation drive
