In August, our very own Pastor Barbara Simmers from Peace Lutheran in Slidell led a group on a good will mission trip by van to Oklahoma in response to the Tornadoes. They had made solid contacts and intended to work in the communities around Shawnee, OK that were hit the day BEFORE the widely publicized Moore, OK. Most of the families hit in these other areas are impoverished and without insurance.
This group of ten people traveled to Shawnee, Oklahoma, which included three teens, two pastors, a couple of senior citizens and middle-aged folks.
They worked together with Debra Big Eagle, who's outreach was helping out the local children affected by the tornadoes with $5 gift cards and schools supplies. Debra shares that 552 homes were affected in her county, with 91 homes destroyed in nearby Steelman Estates, an impoverished mobile home park.
Although the group may have been small, they were greatly supported by others. Together with them they brought 125 book bags each filled with the following items:
- 3 spiral notebooks
- 1 ruler
- 1 box of gobsters, runts, bottle caps, etc.
- 1 glue stick
- 1 Terragona pencil & 2 No. 2 pencils
- 1 small Kleenex package
- 1 24-box of colors
- 1 pack of markers
- 1 pair of scissors
- $5 Walmart gift card
- 1 assignment pad
- 3 books - new story book classics on the 8-12 year reading level
- 1 pair of Mardi Gras beads
All the goods for the book bags and school supplies came from a variety of sources supporting this project including:
- Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod
Congregations:
- Peace in Slidell
- Christ the King in Kenner
- St. Mark's in Metairie
- Hosanna in Mandeville
- St. Paul in Baton Rouge
Community Groups:
- Lions Club - Pearl River
- VFW - Pearl river
- St. Joseph Hospice
- Canon Hospice
- Where Y'At Senior Citizen Group
- Whispering Forest Elementary in Slidell
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