SUMTER, SC (Oct. 18, 2016) â A sense of community sometimes goes beyond a cityâs borders.
Mayor Joe McElveen, during the regularly scheduled City Council meeting Tuesday, pledged Sumterâs support to Nichols, which is experiencing some of the most devastating effects of Hurricane Matthew.
Although Sumter had its share of storm-related damage and power outages, cleanup and recovery will be an overwhelming task for Nichols, a rural Marion County town of about 358 residents that was flooded in the wake of the storm.
âWeâre thankful that Sumter was spared the worst of the Matthew, so we must humbly show our gratefulness by supporting another community that wasnât as fortunate,â McElveen said.
City of Sumter residents are asked to donate items that are most needed as Nichols begins its recovery.
Those items include the following:
Construction/Repair
- Heavy duty face masks
- Thick work gloves
- Work goggles
- 36 inch crowbars
- Heavyweight hammers
Cleaning/Storage
- Cleaning supplies/laundry detergent
- Rags/old towels
- Trash bags/grocery bags
- Mops
- Buckets
- Brooms
- Paper towels
- Moving boxes
- Plastic storage boxes
Personal care
- Gatorade/bottled water
- Gift cards (Wal-Mart, Visa)
- Tissue paper
- New socks/underwear/undershirts
- Cereal bars
- Pillows
- Diapers
- Baby wipes
- Personal hygiene items
- First aid items
- Hand sanitizer
Items can be dropped off at the Alice Drive Fire Station, 225 Alice Drive, beginning 10 a.m. Wednesday through 10 a.m. Friday.
Members of the Sumter Police and Fire departments will then deliver local donations to Nichols.
âWeâre Sumter Strong but the substance of our strength and the spirit of our community is demonstrated best when we come together to help others in a time of need,â McElveen said.
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