Donated supplies en route to Kentucky tornado victims

ROCKINGHAM — Volunteers departed from the East Rockingham Fire Department Monday morning with supplies and donations from the Richmond County community en route to the victims of the recent tornadoes in Kentucky.

About 10 volunteers, from Cordova Fire Department, FirstHealth of the Carolinas, Richmond County Sheriff’s Office and ERFD made the 10 ½ hour trek to Kentucky. The drivers, along with the supplies, arrived safely in Kentucky on Tuesday.

“We just want to thank everybody in the community,” said Dennis Smith, President of the Richmond County Fire & Rescue Chief’s Association and Deputy Chief of the ERFD. “The community and churches have helped us tremendously.”

First responders collected the donations of supplies from drop-off points at fire departments and other locations around the county from Dec. 15 to 19.

Lieutenant Norvin Forester with the Sheriff’s Office went to Mayfield High School in Kentucky, which is about a mile away from the epicenter of the destruction. He didn’t know anyone directly impacted by the destruction, but knew somebody who lost power in the area.

“We needed to help them out,” Forester said. “I thank everybody for donating.”

Forester is traveling to Kentucky with the group that left Monday. Nicholas Pope, a firefighter and ERFD and deputy at RCSO, will also be traveling.

Pope said he doesn’t quite know what to expect when they arrive.

“Everyone in the community just wanted to help out and assist in the best way possible,” Pope said of the Richmond County donations.

Smith named some of the key people and groups who partnered to make these donations possible:

• Joe Everett at Superior Cranes for providing a truck and a driver to pull a trailer

• FirstHealth Memorial Hospital, which provided a 16 ft box truck and two drivers

• Von Drehle Corporation, which donated two pallets of paper products

• Food Lion, which donated a pallet of water

• Lowe’s, which donated two pallets of water

• Arlo’s BP & Wrecker Services gave a monetary donation

• G104 FM promoted the donation drive on their airwaves

• Richmond County Emergency Management Director Bob Smith who provided logistical assistance

Smith also wanted to thank Mt. Creek Fire Chief Kenny McFayden for spearheading the county-wide effort.

“We just had a couple firemen who had some interest in doing something,” McFayden said. “We decided to bring it to the community to get everybody involved.”

McFayden said he was grateful for the community response.

“It’s bigger than I figured it would be,” he said.