CHARLESTON, W.Va –The United Way of Central West Virginia is one of the numerous groups around the Kanawha Valley that sprung into action following this past weekend’s flooding.
All it took was one phone call from Charleston Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin to bring the United Way onboard to help coordinate relief.
“We were certainly concerned like everybody else on Sunday as we continued to get reports, and Mayor Goodwin got in touch with us and touched base with us on Monday morning, and we were able to kind of hear some of the more specific needs that they were seeing right away in the city,” United Way CWV President Margaret O’Neal said.
After planning with city officials, the United Way got to work helping provide meals for affected residents on Monday. That made sure people on impassable roads could have something to eat.
“We knew there was a need for some sandwiches or some kind of food that would be delivered on Monday, so we provided about 150 sandwiches on Monday and Tuesday and some other snacky food. The Charleston Fire Department and CPD were able to deliver on side-by-sides to places and areas where people were having trouble getting out,” O’Neal said.
In the following days, the United Way also provided water for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center’s supply drive and supported St. Anthony Parish in delivering spaghetti dinners to residents in need.
The organization is also accepting supply and monetary donations. O’Neal wants people to know that the United Way can provide aid if they reach out.
“We operate West Virginia 211 out of our office for many counties in central West Virginia and certainly the city, so if people do have a need and they were impacted and maybe they haven’t seen anybody yet or they have a need for some supplies or they’re having trouble getting out of their location, please call 211 and let us know what you need,” she said.
Even in times like this, O’Neal is seeing West Virginians step up to take care of one another. She witnessed firsthand the support that the Mountain State’s people have in their times of greatest need.
“I asked a gentleman if he had seen his neighbor, and he was like, ‘Yeah, I was just over there a little while ago,’ so that’s just the West Virginia nature. It’s what we see all the time, but we certainly see that when there’s any kind of disaster that people are taking care of each other,” O’Neal said.
Assistance is available 24 hours per day by dialing 2-1-1 or texting your zip code to 8-9-8-2-1-1.