Sarasota District Report

Harvest United Methodist Church is partnering with Publix in Lakewood Ranch to get grocery supplies out to Arcadia. The Market Street store provides shoppers with Hurricane Charley shopping lists. Donated bags of groceries are collected there at the store, then Harvest picks up and delivers these groceries to Arcadia daily.

Work teams have been leaving the church at 8:30 a.m. every morning this week to help in Arcadia and will continue to do so throughout the week. About 80 people from Harvest have gone at least one of the last four days. On Saturday, Harvest is partnering with United Methodist Church of the Palm Beaches and West Palm Beach Community of Hope to blanket a neighborhood in Arcadia that is still in desperate need with work teams in an attempt to dry in as many homes as possible.

Through one Harvest member’s e-mail communication with business associates about our church’s response to the disaster, we have received word from someone at a 7,000-member church in Texas that financial assistance for the hurricane from their congregation will be directed this way.

Hope this will be an encouragement and perhaps provide creative ideas to other churches in the district.

Today, (Wednesday) we delivered $1,500 worth of food and supplies to Edgewater United Methodist Church for distribution to those in need in Port Charlotte.

We have had four volunteers in Arcadia for the last four days cooking and serving for 12 hours per day.

We have had 20 people helping with food preparation and serving in Port Charlotte at Pinkerton Insurance agencies. They will discontinut this work on Friday since a large feeding facility has been opened or will open very soon.

We will provide housing in Triplette FLC for 60 to 100 volunteers coming from Missouri to assist with reconstruction. They are with a faith-based group and serve in disaster areas. They will be here for one week. (28 Aug.-4 Sep.)