To say that I was blown away by your response and generosity for Hurricane Relief is an understatement! WOW! I’d say that I was speechless, but you know that’s not possible – haha! Truthfully, it’s just Coastal being Coastal, doing what we do time and time again. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Tomorrow morning we’ll be caravanning down to south Georgia with 50+ volunteers to feed 4-500 people and give away a MOUNTAIN of food and supplies! And not only that, we’ll also be giving money DIRECTLY to multiple families who were hit hard and struggling to survive. Now, are you ready for this? Not only did Coastal donate a ton of food and supplies to give away, but you gave over $20,000 to give to hurting families. I’m sure there will be more money coming in, but we’ll be able to help families in both south Georgia tomorrow and western NC next week. If you designate your gift “RELIEF” or “Benevolence,” we will make sure it gets to people in need. You can also TEXT any amount to our church number, 843-571-1777 (ex. “$100 RELIEF”).
So, speaking of western NC, let me give you the details as we know them right now. This will be an overnight work/clean up trip. We will be meeting at the church at 5:30am on Thursday, October 17th, and leaving no later than 6am. Right now it looks like we will be going to Swannanoa NC, just outside of Asheville to help with clean up (dress appropriately). As the trip gets closer we’ll know more about what exactly we will be doing (things are changing every day). We’ll be working from our arrival (approximately 11am) until dark. More than likely we’ll be sleeping on a floor somewhere, so bring a sleeping bag (we will be roughing it). Each person needs to be self-sustaining – bring what you will need for food/snacks, small personal cooler, etc. We’ll bring a large cooler. We’ll work most of the day on Friday, and leave for Charleston by 3pm, arriving back home around 8pm. Check the weather before we leave. It looks like the temperatures have begun to drop there, so please keep that in mind. If you would like to go on this trip, please sign up online. For those who sign up online, I will send out an email early next week with all the updated information.
We will be bringing supplies with us to NC, but the supply list is very different from what we were collecting for south Georgia and other areas. Here is the new list of supplies needed:
◦ Work Gloves and nitrile gloves
◦ Shovels
◦ Cleaning supplies
◦ Pump sprayers
◦ Water hoses
◦ Sump pumps
◦ Pry bars
◦ Box cutters
◦ Rubber boots
◦ Wheel barrows
◦ Batteries
◦ Sugar free electrolyte drinks
◦ igloo water coolers
◦ Chest freezers
◦ Dehumidifier
◦ Fans
◦ Duct tape
◦ Folding chairs
◦ Big squeegee
◦ Propane tanks
◦ Chainsaws
◦ Protective gear – gloves, chaps, eye/ ear protection
◦ Extra chains for saws
◦ Log splitters
◦ Tarps
◦ Charcoal
◦ Ext cords
◦ Pressure washers
◦ Power tools
If you have or can purchase any of these items, please bring them to the church by Wednesday of next week. We will still be collecting other supplies from our previous list for a few weeks. While we are NOT collecting clothes for Disaster Relief, Coastal’s Clothing Ministry gives away an enormous amount of clothing throughout the year to people in need, and right now we are in need of Men’s (not Women’s) & Children’s clothing. And the same thing goes for our Food Pantry. Right now we are giving away A TON of food to our community and our Food Pantry is getting low. So whether it is for Disaster Relief or for our Food Pantry, just know that your donations are going to people in need and making a difference! If you are planning a trip to any of the affected areas over the next several weeks, please come by the church and load up your vehicle with supplies.
Whew! I think that’s about it – for now – haha! If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask. Please pray for the people we will be helping/serving and for the volunteers who will be going. Also, please pray for your Pastors and Staff here at Coastal. We have an amazing Team, always ready and willing to do whatever it takes. But times like these can and do take a toll on everyone, including our leaders. I love you Coastal! Hopefully, I’ll give you a recap on our Georgia Trip & an update on the NC trip in this week’s Friday 5!
Much, Much Love & Gratitude!
Pastor Chris “PC”
P.S. Again, here’s the link to sign up online to go to Swannanoa, NC next week. And if you’re making a trip anytime soon to ANY affected area, stop by the church to pick up supplies or let us know what you need!
