Alisa D. Wilkes, Wilkes & Mee
My family and I assisted in cleanup efforts for Hurricane Matthew organized by Mormon Helping Hands through The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
On Saturday morning at 8 a.m. immediately following the storm, supply trucks from LDS Emergency Services arrived at two church locations loaded with chain saws, wheel barrows, food, water, tarps and many other essentials necessary for storm cleanup.
Approximately 125 youth supervised by their leaders helped unload the trucks.
Afterward, hundreds of church members spent time assisting those who needed help getting their homes back in order.
We were asked to participate in getting supplies out to those who could not come to the church to retrieve them, cleaning up debris, removing downed trees and checking on those disabled, elderly or widowed in the church and in the community both before and after the hurricane.
Although devastation is difficult, it was very rewarding to know that our assistance brought welcomed relief to someone else. I’ve always told my children the No. 1 key to happiness in this life is serving others.
I hope that through example I can instill this same attitude in my children the same way it was instilled in me by my parents.
Our family motto is “Where there’s a Wilkes, there’s a way.” I was especially pleased to see them give up so much of their time to help those in need.
Adam Edgecombe, Jimerson & Cobb
After the storm, as my family and I were cleaning in front of our house, we realized that several elderly neighbors and a few who had evacuated, had a large amount of debris in their yards and in the street.
Due to the nice weather and because we were so thankful for having not suffered any major damage from the storm, my wife, Laura, and my son, Holden, and I cleaned the neighbors’ yards and swept the street.
Our next door neighbor saw us and joined in, too.
We had the street pretty much cleaned up after just over an hour, and it felt really good to help our neighbors out.
We then drove across town to my parents’ house to help them clean up as well.
Cassidy Bergstrom, Gunster
The truly wonderful thing about St. Augustine is the community is banding together to help those in need after Hurricane Matthew.
People are delivering free meals and water to those cleaning up hurricane damage, organizing groups to go around checking on the elderly and a donation center has been set up at Pedro Menedez High School to collect toiletries and clothes for those who lost everything.
Members of the community are offering to help in every way possible, from free tech services for businesses and charities to offering to wash, dry and fold laundry for anyone without power.
Through social media, a sign-up page has been created so volunteers can get connected with those in need of help.
For our part, my husband and I spent the weekend clearing downed oak trees, pine trees and palm trees in the yards of family, friends and neighbors.
We’ll be back down there helping local charities and flood victims try to get back to normal.