The mission ? ‘H2O ? Help 2 Oxford.?
The objective ? Gather as many cases of bottled drinking water as possible in three days and personally truck it all down to Oxford, Mississippi to quench the thirst of Hurricane Katrina survivors.
‘We’ve got to do something,? said Oxford Township Parks and Recreation Director Ron Davis to the group of local leaders he assembled for an impromptu hurricane relief meeting Friday. ‘It’s overwhelming what’s going on down there.?
Last week, Hurricane Katrina devastated large portions of Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi along the Gulf Coast, leaving countless residents homeless, hungry, injured and severely dehydrated.
‘They need water right now,? Davis said. Those at the meeting agreed and ‘H2O ? Help 2 Oxford? was born.
Beginning Tuesday, Sept. 6 and ending Thursday, Sept. 8, residents, businesses, service groups, churches, schools, etc. are being asked to donate cases of bottled drinking water ? no individual bottles please ? at the old fire hall behind the village offices at 22 W. Burdick St. and at Fire Station #1 at 96 N. Washington St.
Donations will be accepted from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. each of the three days. As of Tuesday night, more than 150 cases of water had been collected along with commitments for at least five pallets (60 cases each) of bottled water from Sweet & Savory Bake Shop, Kalloway’s Restaurant and Pub, and Coca Cola.
At press time, Davis was looking into using cash donations to purchase a semi-truck load of bottled water (23 pallets or 1,380 cases).
Once all the water has been collected, a group of hardy volunteers will leave Oxford around 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 9 and spend the next 14 hours driving trucks and trailers full of bottled water 890 miles south to Oxford, Mississippi.
Located in Lafayette County, Oxford is a 10-square-mile city of about 12,000 people in northern Mississippi. It’s home to the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss), which together with the city and county governments, is coordinating relief efforts for incoming hurricane survivors from the southern portion of the state and Louisiana.
‘The people of Oxford, Mississippi really, truly appreciate what y’all are doing,? said Buster Clark, Director of Telecommunications for Ole Miss and coordinator of the university’s disaster relief efforts. ‘It’s unreal the relief we’re getting from you folks up north. I don’t like to refer to you as Yankees, but you Yankees are helpin? us Southerners out and we sure appreciate it brother.?
In addition to bottled water, Clark said the ‘main things? hurricane survivors need are mosquito repellent, breath strips, cereal bars, socks and underwear for men, women and children, and can openers.
‘Folks are shipping plenty of canned goods down, but (they) don’t have any way of opening them,? Clark said.
To offset the cost of gasoline for the H2O convoy and purchase additional bottled water, cash donations are being accepted at the two aforementioned water drop-off locations. As of Tuesday night, more than $4,000 in donations had been secured.
Donation canisters are also located around town at the Oxford Township and Village offices, Oxford Township Parks and Recreation, Little Caesars, Oxford Post Office, Kalloway’s Restaurant and Pub, Red Knapp’s American Grill, Oxford Bank and The Oxford Leader.
The Oxford Firefighters Association will conduct a boot drive on Saturday, Sept. 10 and Sunday, Sept. 11 to help reimburse the convoy’s fuel costs if necessary.
Any boot money over and above what’s needed to cover the fuel costs will be donated to the American Red Cross.