North Texans Rally To Help Flood Ravaged Louisiana Town
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A small flood ravaged Louisiana town will receive some much needed relief this weekend, thanks to some dedicated North Texans.
Springfield, Louisiana is a town of 2,800 people outside Baton Rouge. Over 80 percent of the people lost their homes in the recent floods.
"I'm hearing that the same amount of water that hit during Katrina hit that small area," says Wendy Rickert. "And the schools are barely operating. Middle school and high school students are only getting half days right now."
Rickert lives in Prosper, but grew up in southern Louisiana. She heard of the devastation through her cousin, who is a pastor at Community Church of Springfield.
"It was weighing on my heart," she says "I knew helping was the right thing to do."
Rickert reached out to Grace Bridge donation center in Celina, and they responded by providing many furniture items. J.W. Logistics in Frisco provided several trucks to load with supplies. Volunteers in the community and from Prestonwood Baptist Church did the rest.
"It was so overwhelming to see people from Prosper, Frisco and McKinney all come together," says Rickert. "There are so many servant hearts out there." The trucks leave for Springfield tonight, and volunteers will spend the weekend there handing out aid to those in need.
"They're our neighbors, and this sort of devastation could happen to us tomorrow," says Rickert. "So many people in Louisiana are very proud, but they're completely humbled just knowing there are people out there who care for them."
Anyone can donate to the Springfield relief effort through Grace Bridge's website, or donate items to them directly so they can replenish their supplies.
ONLINE: Grace Bridge
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