Over 15,000 pounds of goods have been collected and delivered to Eastern Kentucky over the past three weeks by Rev. Robert Ashley Beagle of Dayton and Lance Mockbee of Newport.
The duo is collecting items like rakes, shovels, and cleaning supplies to help clean up the area devastated by floods in July.
Beagle and Mockbee are operating under the umbrella of First Baptist Church of Dayton and High on God Ministries in Newport. The donations they have collected have come from across Northern Kentucky.
Beagle said they have access to rural routes that tractor trailers cannot reach directly, meaning they can deliver supplies directly to the people in need.
“FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) is good, but they set up in one point, and it’s about 20 miles from the epicenter, and we actually take it down into the epicenter,” Beagle said.
He estimates cleanup efforts will take more than a year and a half.
They will continue making weekly trips to deliver supplies to Eastern Kentucky over the next three to four months, until wintertime.
Beagle said they have a benefit concert on Sept. 10 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at First Baptist Church 3810 Alexandria Pike in Cold Spring to collect more donations.
Four bands, Neighborhood, Theresa Jane, Jawbone, and God’s Dirt, will be performing at the event. Admission is free, but people attending are asked to bring donations for Eastern Kentucky.
Items the church is requesting for flood victims include:
- Clothes
- Gatorade
- Food products like Pop-Tarts, chips, and ready-to-open canned goods
- Men’s and women’s hygiene products
- Diapers
- Adult diapers
- Toothpaste
- Deodorant
Those interested in helping flood victims may drop off goods at High on God Ministries at 203 West 10th St. in Newport. Monetary donations can be dropped off at First Baptist Church of Dayton, 501 Dayton Ave.