Red Feather delivers to Katrina victims in Mississippi

By Linda Bell
Correspondent

A trio of volunteers from the Red Feather Lakes Volunteer Fire Department drove to Mississippi with a trailer-load of donated food, linens, toys and clothing the weekend before Christmas to make the holiday just a little bit better for the 13 families of a volunteer fire department that was wiped out by Hurricane Katrina.

They also tucked in a locally grown Christmas tree and donated ornaments, and that might have been the best gift of all, according to Cris Meeks, one of the three volunteers who drove down and back in 60 hours on the road. Larry Valenta and Pastor Kerry Gibson of Morning Star Church were the other drivers.

"They set the tree up straight in a storm drain at the fire department," Meeks said, "since they didn't have a stand, and decorated it right away."

Meeks said they delivered most of the goods as instructed to Christus Victor Lutheran Church near Ocean Springs, which is still functioning as a shelter and distribution point for survivors of the 20-foot seawall that wiped out everything in that area.

Meeks said soon after they arrived at the church, a woman came by wearing only flip-flops in the cool, damp winter air. It was all she had, Meeks said, and when they were able to find her a pair of warm donated shoes from the Red Feather Lakes community, it made the entire trip worthwhile.

The village started the initiative last fall when Jim Kinney, who has a home in Crystal Lakes, was about to return to his winter residence in Ocean Springs. A few people from Red Feather Lakes churches and businesses gathered some donations for him to take back with him.

Kinney contacted the Gulf Park Estates Volunteer Fire Department and hooked them up with the RFLVFD, which made a larger push for donations from the fire department, local churches and businesses. The response was "really wonderful," Pastor Gibson said. Besides the donated new and used items in the trailer, the community paid for the gas and food needed by the volunteers to make the journey.

Meeks said that on their return trip, they ran into a terrible ice storm in Texas, saw lots of accidents along the Interstate, and had to slow down to a crawl in some places. She said they were grateful they'd all had a good night's sleep in a room at the Imperial Palace Casino, where FEMA employees and other volunteers have a base of operations.