JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – More than 20 African Methodist Episcopal Churches in Jacksonville are working together to collect items for the victims of Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas.
The main drop off location is in downtown Jacksonville at the 11th Episcopal District Enterprise Center parking lot where a U-Haul truck is stationed. Once the items are collected Monday and Tuesday, the U-Haull will drive the items to Miami on Wednesday morning.
A church in Miami has access to sea planes and will be flying over the supplies.
"We are all one family and the mission of the church is to be there for each other in this time of need and this is our opportunity to reach out beyond the physical walls of the church and do what we need to do as disciples of Jesus Christ," said Dr. David Green of St. Stephen AME Church.
Green and members of AME churches said the supplies will go to help the people in the Abaco Islands and Freeport. Green pointed out that it could have been the state of Florida trying to recover from Dorian.
"It could have been us also but to see that devastation it causes us right now to be all together in unity and to be a blessing to our brothers and sisters," Green said.
Many people thought they could ride the storm out or just didn’t have the means to evacuate.
"We cannot second guess what happened. The only thing we want to do is focus on what we can do now to make a difference in the lives of the people," Green said.
Items requested for donation are:
- Toiletries
- Diapers
- Cleaning supplies
- Sanitary wipes
- Water
- Batteries
- Visa, Mastercard or American Express gift cards
One item the group is not accepting is clothing, because it takes a lot of time to sort through clothing. The churches would rather people give items that can help immediately.
If you could not donate on Monday, the church will be accepting donations Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.