Posted
by Keith Campbell
May 19, 2007 at 6:13 p.m.
From Greensburg to Greensburg with Love
"Our town would like to donate a dump truck to the town of Greensburg."This was the first call that I handled working as a city administrator liaison for Greensburg, Kansas. What makes this story interesting is why they wanted to donate the dump truck, and where it was coming from. A community in Pennsylvania felt a connection with a community in Kansas, and that bond was that they shared the same name: Greensburg. At 5:00 p.m. today, after a 25 hour non-stop drive, four firemen from Greensburg, Pennsylvania officially donated a Ford dump truck -filled with supplies- from the citizens of Greensburg to the citizens of Greensburg. It was a wonderful and uplifting presentation held amongst the ruins of what is left of Main Street.I have had the pleasure of helping numerous groups and organizations donate to the relief efforts in Greensburg, but the delivery of the dump truck was a special occasion, and I was happy to be a part, in a very small way, of this touching event. Help is still needed. The city has lost nearly everything, and they still need your help. 100% of all monetary donations sent to the Greensburg Relief Fund will go directly to rebuilding the city and their infrastructure. Right now they have neither.Checks can be mailed to:Greensburg Relief Fund C/O City Hall Pam Reves: City Treasurer 203 E Wisconsin Greensburg, KS 67045They are wonderful people and every bit will help.
Comments
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jen82 (anonymous) says…
Are there any places to drop-off non-monetary donations? Or an address to ship them to? What is needed the most?
Thanks!
jen.
lostblend (Keith Campbell) says…
The issue that Greensburg has with non-monetary donations is space. The city and the county have nothing. The surrounding communities are small and the available free space they have is at capacity. Wichita is being used for overflow but the distance to Greensburg is the issue. The city has no income, and the expenses that they are incurring, even with the assistance of FEMA, is tremendous. The first bill just for the porta-a-johns is unbelievable. I thought that they had misplaced the comma. That is why I encourage monetary donation. I know that may not be the best for everyone, but money really is what they need at this time.
leslie (Leslie vonHolten) says…
Great story, Keith. And good of you to help out!
bloozman (anonymous) says…
The urge to donate goods is overwhelming, but Keith is right about this. When I worked in the Emergency Operations Center in Hancock County, Mississippi, just after Katrina, donated goods from well-meaning people were being dumped because there was no place to warehouse them and no way to catalogue and distribute them. Tons of stuff was ruined by rain, creating more clean-up for already-overworked people. Please, stick with gifts of money until the situation improves.
jen82 (anonymous) says…
Good to know!