Extra Information for Storm Volunteers and Donators

TUPELO, Miss. (Press Release) — For the weekend beginning May 3, the United Way will be set up at the Tupelo Convention and Visitor’s Bureau as a check-in point for all volunteers and volunteer groups. The Tupelo CVB is located at 399 East Main Street in Tupelo, Mississippi.

Volunteer coordinators will be at the CVB Volunteer Check-In beginning at 7:00 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday to provide you with safety information as well as information on how and where you can help. We ask that you please register with the United Way before you begin the clean-up effort that we are all so eager to initiate.

We request that you please take the time to register at the CVB prior to all volunteer efforts so that individuals and groups may be directed to the most critical areas of need, informed regarding safe areas for participation and to complete volunteer registration/participation forms. Tracking volunteer hours is critical for the City to maximize funding from state and federal resources in the wake of this disaster.

By checking in, you will assist us in being able to monitor the number of community volunteer hours for the overall recovery effort. So please take the time to stop by the Volunteer Check-In and register so that your efforts will benefit the city in both the short and long term.

At the CVB Check-in, the United Way will collect basic information, provide important volunteer related information and issue wrist bands to all volunteers so that workers and law enforcement personnel will be able to identify you as a volunteer.

Volunteer coordinators will offer safety information and instructions on how to collect, separate and place debris so that it may be collected by professionals as efficiently as possible. For more detailed information related to debris separation, please see the flyer included within this information packet. They will also be able to tell you which neighborhoods have the most urgent needs and assign different levels of ‘jobs’ to people at all ability and interest levels.

The volunteer managers will also be able to direct you to the neighborhoods that have been deemed by the city to be safe for volunteers.

If you are injured

If you or someone with whom you are working is injured, please seek immediate medical attention. If the injury sustained is critical or life threatening call 911 immediately. For less severe injuries, please go to your healthcare provider.

Ways to Donate

The CREATE Foundation has established the Disaster Relief Fund to aid in the recovery of Tupelo and Lee County in the wake of the April 28 tornado. CREATE will match donations up to a total of $25,000. Additionally, Renasant Bank and BancorpSouth have offered to match the fund up to $10,000. Visit http://www.createfoundation.com/MakeADonation.aspx?id=113 to donate.

Non-perishable food items and cleaning supplies are needed at the United Way donation site at 1031 South Green Street site. This is the central collection point for the storm and request that all donations be directed to this site. The site is managed by Lee County and staffed mainly by the United Way volunteers.

The site is open 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Those donations can be coordinated by calling 662-871-2819.  Those who are in need of these items may also call 662-871-2819.

The Red Cross, the Salvation Army and the United Way are in need of donations to assist in the recovery efforts as well as volunteers. Contact information is as follows:

Red Cross Northeast Mississippi Chapter: www.redcross.org or call 662-842-6101
Salvation Army: www.salvationarmy.org or call 662-680-2769
United Way of Greater Northeast Mississippi: www.unitedwaynems.org or call 662-841-9133