September 6, 2011

NEW YORK – Church World Service is appealing to congregations throughout the nation for donations of 10,000 Emergency Clean-up Buckets for distribution to people affected by Hurricane Irene, from North Carolina to New England.

More than 2,300 buckets and other supplies already are on their way from CWS to food banks and other organizations helping people in need.

The Rev. Bert Marshall, CWS regional director for New England, points out that many of the people in communities that now are receiving CWS relief supplies have been among the most generous donors of Emergency Clean-up Buckets and other supplies in the past.

"Some of these buckets, people might even recognize coming back," says Marshall.

In Brattleboro, Vt., supplies from CWS will be distributed to homeless people and others whose homes have been flooded.

About 150 homes there were damaged by flooding, according to Melinda Bussino, executive director of the Brattleboro Area Drop In Center, which will distribute CWS relief items this week. Residents of a home for senior citizens and people living in several mobile home parks are among those who were affected by the storms and several homeless people living under a bridge lost all their belongings.

Many people are staying with various friends or relatives until their homes are repaired. "We have a lot of folks that are couch surfing," Bussino says.

The Brattleboro Area Drop In Center, which regularly provides CWS relief items to homeless people, already has distributed 55 CWS hygiene kits that it had on hand after Hurricane Irene.

Congregations, organizations and individuals wishing to help hurricane survivors by donating Emergency Clean-up Buckets can find instructions and a list of bucket contents online at churchworldservice.org/buckets.

In addition to the emergency call for buckets, Church World Service is attempting to raise $210,000 in donations to help meet emergency and long-term disaster relief needs arising from the storm. Donations may be made online at http://www.churchworldservice.org/, by phone at 1-800-297-1516, or by mail to Church World Service, 28606 Phillips Street, P.O. Box 968, Elkhart, IN, 46515

Church World Service