THE ISLAND PACKET
Staff Reports
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Local groups are continuing their efforts to help South Carolina residents affected by the severe flooding.
Several organizations and companies are sponsoring supply drives, primarily seeking bottled water donations and toiletries to send to disaster-stricken Charleston and Columbia residents.
The Island Packet and The Beaufort Gazette will accept bottled water donations at the newspaper's building at 10 Buck Island Road during normal business hours, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The bottled water will be trucked to Columbia nightly.
The Town of Bluffton is hosting a water and paper supply drive until Friday at 1 p.m. The drive is seeking donated water and paper supplies such as paper towels and toilet paper, according to a town news release. Gallon jugs of water or larger are preferred, but bottled water will also be accepted.
Residents can drop off donated materials at these locations:
-- Town Hall, 20 Bridge St.
-- Bluffton Police Department, 101 Progressive St.
-- The Greater Bluffton Chamber of Commerce, 217 Goethe Rd.
-- Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce Office, 1 Chamber of Commerce Dr., Hilton Head Island
-- Hilton Head Area Association of Realtors, 32 Office Park Rd., Suite 124, Hilton Head Island
-- Hilton Head Area Home Builders Association, 386 Spanish Wells Rd., Suite C1, Hilton Head Island
Taylor's Quality Landscape Supplies of Bluffton is also collecting water donations to help residents in Columbia in coordination with the American Red Cross, according to post on the company's Facebook page. The company said Monday it was in the process of sending 80 pallets of water to Columbia and were working on collecting more water to donate.
The company is accepting donations of water or money to purchase it at the store on 36 Cecil Reynolds Rd. For more information, call 843-705-2600.
Lowcountry Paver will have a trailer at the Publix Shopping Center off Buckwalter Road in Bluffton from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday to collect blankets, non-perishable food, pet supplies and water.
Kroger on Hilton Head Island, at 42 Shelter Cove Lane in Shelter Cove Towne Centre, is serving as a drop off location for water donations which will be trucked to Columbia on Friday by the Lowcountry Jaycees.
The Greenery Retail Center at 960 William Hilton Parkway is also a drop offlocation for water, paper towels and toilet paper.
In Beaufort, Sea Island Carriage Company is trading cases of bottled water brought to its door at 930 Bay St. for a carriage ride.
The Beaufort County Association of Realtors is accepting bottles of water at its office at 22 Kemmerlin Lane on Lady's Island, behind BB&T. A map and instructions are available at http://beaufortscrealtors.com. For more information, call 843-525-6435.
Lowcountry Jaycees will collect water and other supplies through Friday, when chapter president Kyle Warren will transport the donated supplies to Columbia. The organization is asked for water, toiletries, paper towels, baby food, and pet food.
Items can be dropped off at Kazoobie Kazoos at 12 John Galt Rd. from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., or by emailing Kyle Warren at president@lcjaycees.org for pick-up.
Love House Ministries is collecting bottled water, toiletries, canned goods, household items, pet food and towels for disaster-stricken areas. Residents can drop off donated materials at these locations:
-- Love House Ministries, 423 Parris Island Gateway, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday.
-- Stokes Honda of Beaufort, 88 Robert Smalls Parkway, Tuesday through Friday
-- Quality Inn at Town Center, 2001 Boundary St., Tuesday through Friday
-- All three Hobbit Hill Preschool locations: 921 Magnolia Bluff Circle, Beaufort, 2409 State Rd S-7-157, Beaufort, 5 Rue Du Bois, Lady's Island, Tuesday through Friday
The donated materials will be transported to Columbia and Charleston by Boogie Tudor of Emergency Power Systems and Tom Curry of Lowcountry Paver, according to a news release. Lowcountry Paver will bring one of its trucks to the Publix at Buckwalter Place in Bluffton on Wednesday and Thursday to collect bottled water, according to state Sen. Tom Davis, R-Beaufort.
Davis also said the "Sew What Club" of Sun City Hilton Head will collect bottled water at Pinckney Hall Wednesday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Kroger stores in Aiken, S.C. and Augusta, Ga., are also serving as collection sites for water donations, the company announced in a news release.
In addition to the local donation efforts, local firefighters have joined rescue and recovery efforts, and traveled to Clarendon County to assist in relief efforts, Lady's Island-St. Helena Fire District spokesman Scott Harris said Monday. Harris said the firefighters will remain there for the next three days to help rescue efforts, he said.