Local firms offer help to hurting Asia

And in the face of all those overwhelming numbers, many in southwest Missouri are trying to help wherever they can.

Convoy of Hope

Springfield-based nonprofit organization Convoy of Hope sprang into action immediately upon word of the Asian tsunami. Media and Communications Director Jeff Nene said the group takes a two-pronged approach to assistance, focusing on both short-term and long-term needs.

“We have a partnership with Federal Express, where in disaster situations they’ll make space available as they have it on some of their flights going into wherever the disaster is,” Nene said. “So we were able, within a couple of days, to ship about 11,000 pounds of hygiene products and ready-to-eat foods.”

Convoy of Hope also has a physical presence in the affected area. In addition to missionaries in the region that the group works with, International Director Kenton Moody is in Sri Lanka, leading an assessment team to survey the damage and figure out what is needed most.

The value of what has been shipped so far is not yet available, Nene said, because there hasn’t been anyone available to calculate those figures.

“Normally we have a very accurate running total of how many loads and what the value is,” he said. “The (expected donations) number is rapidly climbing. I know that we’re committed for the long haul, but we haven’t put a figure on it, mainly because our assessment team isn’t even back yet.”

Nene said if people in southwest Missouri are looking to help, Convoy of Hope has a request.

“We’re trying to discourage people from donating items,” he said. “The biggest need is money. For the most part, we can get the product fairly easily and we can get it in bulk. We’ve had people drop by and say, ‘Here’s a case of bottled water,’ and those kind of things help. But in a lot of cases we can get things purchased locally there a lot easier than we can get them here and ship them. Their $10 that they might spend on water, we can take that and apply it toward the water that Culligan provides and getting it shipped, or apply it to a fund that we can use to buy water purifiers.”

Convoy of Hope’s Web site is set up to collect donations online. Donations can also be made by phone or by mail.

Springfield’s Best

Local business association Springfield’s Best also is collecting donations from its members. The group handed a check for $7,000 to representatives from Convoy of Hope at a Jan. 3 press conference. The money came entirely from Springfield’s Best members.

Executive Director George Freeman said the collection effort was put together on very short notice.

“We literally sent out an e-mail to our members and just started calling,” he said. “We had checks for $50 or $100 and then we had several larger donations as well. (Collecting) $7,000 between Christmas and New Year’s is a pretty good chunk of change. People tend to be either out of the office or think they don’t have any money. That and April 15, I think, are the two worst days to raise money.”

Freeman added that the group continues to collect donations for the effort. Any additional money collected also will be donated to Convoy of Hope.

U.S. Bank

U.S. Bank has set up a Tsunami Relief Fund nationally, with donated money being forwarded to the American Red Cross. Springfield/Branson Region Vice President and Manager Harold Phillips said fliers will be put up in all U.S. Bank branches across the country.

“We’ll be putting them up for two reasons,” Phillips said. “One is to let people know that there is a vehicle available through their U.S. Bank partnership to make those donations. And of course it also lets them know that we are coordinating that relief effort through the American Red Cross.”

Employees also have been encouraged to contribute to the fund, though Phillips said those donations are totally at the employee’s discretion. The bank will operate the fund through Jan. 31. Phillips said local response has been good, though he did not yet have figures available.

American Red Cross

The Greater Ozarks Chapter of the American Red Cross is always taking donations for disaster relief, and tsunami relief efforts are no exception.

Spokesperson Marisa DeClue said, as with most groups, the best way to help is financially.

“We do in a way have an in-kind donation set up, but that’s for bulk supplies,” she said. “As far as asking people for blankets and supplies, we aren’t accepting things like that because with shipping, you’re looking at a lot of cost, and also there’s the issue of storage space.”

Donations can be made online, by phone or by mail.

Three local companies have challenged other companies to make donations. International Dehydrated Foods, American Dehydrated Foods and Journagan Construction each donated $5,000 to the Red Cross, challenging others to do the same.

Mostly Memories

Mostly Memories, located in Ozark, also is collecting materials to be shipped to Sri Lanka.

“We are collecting the needed items that people use in their daily lives,” said Trisha Derges, president of Mostly Memories. “We’re collecting everything from food and water to toiletries, baby items – especially baby food and formula and diapers, medical items and eyeglasses.”

Derges said she put the relief effort together because she felt a need to help.

“You want so bad to help, and you can’t just go over there,” she said. “This way, many people feel that they are personally able to send something that they know will personally help someone over there.”

In addition to shippable items, Derges said the company also has received donations totaling more than $8,000 as of Jan. 6. Mostly Memories also has received help from other organizations, including FedEx and Hammons Products in Stockton.

Mostly Memories will continue to collect donations through Jan. 14. It is open 7 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday After hours, Derges said, items can be left on the company’s loading dock.

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