Hurricane Helene: Gwinnett church collects items for storm survivors in Augusta

DULUTH, Ga. — Many people are continuing to help some of the hardest-hit communities after Hurricane Helene.

Channel 2′s Gwinnett County Bureau Chief Matt Johnson spoke with a local church that issued a call to help.

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A call went out for batteries, tarps, and water and, within hours, the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church was able to get more supplies than they could fit on a truck that headed straight for Augusta.

“This is what we do,” church member, Rodrigo Cruz, said.

The bottled water, the tarps and the battery chargers showed up at the church in Duluth in less than a day.

“When somebody is hurting, we put the word out there,” Cruz said.

People brought whatever they could to the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church for storm victims in Augusta.

“There was an older lady who came with a small case and said, ‘It’s not much.’ But I said, ‘It’s going to be a lot for somebody,’” Cruz said.

Cruz says it’s his job to deliver the supplies that the pastors in August told him are much needed.

“We’re taking them there to the pastors and they’ll be distributing,” Cruz explained.

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“How can we get out and help some people?” William Hemphill asked.

Hemphill lives in Stone Mountain but drove to Duluth to donate water.

He says Hurricane Helene spared his home but he knows others in Georgia aren’t as fortunate.

“We can be a blessing to somebody else because God has blessed us tremendously,” said Hemphill.

By Monday afternoon, the supplies arrived in Augusta.

Cruz says it won’t be the last time he makes the drive as the community continues to recover.

“Hopefully we can keep doing this the rest of the week,” Cruz said.

The supplies arrived on Monday and the members of the church on the ground will get with the community and find out what’s needed next.

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