Oxford, Michigan ? The community leaders and citizens of Oxford announced today they are organizing a water drive next week to quench the thirst of Hurricane Katrina’s survivors, many of whom are without clean drinking water and suffering from severe dehydration.
Dubbed ‘Oxford to Oxford,? the goal is to collect as many cases of bottled water ? please no individual bottles ? as possible over a three-day period and personally transport it all to Oxford, Mississippi by Saturday, September 10.
From Tuesday, September 6 through Thursday, September 8, local residents, businesses, service groups, churches, schools, etc. are being asked to donate cases of bottled water at two drop off points in the northern Oakland County community ? 1) Oxford Fire Station #1 at 96 N. Washington Street (the northeast corner of Washington and Church streets); and 2) the old fire hall behind the village offices at 22 W. Burdick Street.
Water donations will be accepted from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. each of the three days.
Cash donations are also being sought to offset the cost of gasoline for transporting the water and buying additional bottled water if necessary. Monetary donations may be at the water drop-off sites or in canisters which will begin appearing at businesses around town this weekend.
The Oxford Firefighters Association will also be conducting a boot drive on Saturday, September 10 and Sunday, September 11 to collect donations for fuel and more water. Firefighters will be at the corners of Burdick and M-24 in downtown Oxford.
Once all the donated water has been collected by 8 p.m. Thursday, September 8, organizers are hoping to leave Oxford 6 p.m. Friday, September 9 with a convoy of trucks and trailers packed with fresh clean drinking water for the hurricane survivors. The destination — Oxford, Mississippi.
Representatives from Oxford Township Parks and Recreation, Oxford Township and Village, Oxford Fire Department, Oxford Public Library, Oxford Area Community Schools, the Oxford Meijer, Tool Sport and Sign, North Oxford Road Stor-N-Lock, Budget Rent-A-Truck, Oxford True Value Hardware, and The Oxford Leader newspaper came together on Friday, September 2 to begin organizing this locally-based relief effort.
For more information contact Oxford Twp. Parks and Recreation Director Ron Davis at 248-628-1720.