RICHLANDS, Va. -People and organizations from the Richlands community and beyond are stepping up to help the residents recovering from the recent flooding disaster.
On Tuesday, the Richlands Police Department opened up a building to distribute resources like food, water, and cleaning supplies to residents left struggling in the wake of the recent flooding, some losing everything.
Chief of Police, Ron Holt, says they’ve already had both God’s Pit Crew (a nonprofit from Danville, Virginia) and the United Methodist Church’s Holston Conference Disaster response team drop off resources, with more organizations already saying they plan to bring more essentials in the coming days.
In addition, some of the the Southwest Virginia Community College student athletes volunteered their time to pass out supplies, including one international student who says a lot of his friends were affected by flooding, which prompted him to show his support for the people of the Richlands community.
“It’s very important to give back to your community… I’m a Christian as well, so helping out others is something that I take pride in,” says Darren Bantom, a student athlete in the SWCC soccer team.
“We are all about supporting our community. This community, the college, we’re all like family, and when somebody’s in need, you step up and you help, so neighbor helping neighbor,” says Sherri Brown, coordinator of campus events and community engagement for SWCC.
“It’s a reminder that, generally speaking, people are good, and you’re reminded of that in times of need, and it’s your local organizations, and churches, civic groups, they’ve all reached out, and we truly appreciate it. It certainly makes you feel like you’re not alone in those situations,” says Chief Holt.
Those we spoke to encourage others to give of their time or resources as well, with Chief Holt saying you can call the non-emergency Police Department number (276-964-9134) to offer help.
If you are in need, he says this distribution center will be open for the foreseeable future. You can stop by anytime, with after-hours access available by picking up the phone in the police department lobby.
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