The City of New Bern has begun collecting gift cards to help tornado victims in Kentucky. Gift cards will be collected until Friday, January 14th at 5 p.m., after which they will be organized and shipped to Kentucky for distribution.
During the December 14th Board of Aldermen meeting, Alderman Sabrina Bengel started the conversation about helping victims of the December 10th storms that ripped across several states. “They need money and goods right now,” Alderman Bengel said at the meeting. “Remember all the people around the state of North Carolina that did that for us in the midst of a hurricane… all the gift cards that were sent and other items that were sent to the city to help our citizens. So maybe, in turn, we can collect here and send something out there.” The board members present supported the idea unanimously.
The City has identified 2 locations where people are welcome to donate if they choose. The locations and hours of operation are as follows:
- City Hall, 300 Pollock Street, open Monday through Friday (except Friday, December 31st) from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
- Customer & Payment Services, 606 Ft. Totten Drive, Monday through Friday (except Friday, December 31st) from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
The Customer & Payment Services office encourages visitors to use the drive-through to drop off gift cards, but you can also give them to a customer service representative in the lobby. All gift cards will be received by the Mayfield Graves County Tornado Relief Fund located in Fancy Farm, Kentucky. The organization says they do not need clothes right now and that gift cards will make it easier to purchase and deliver supplies quickly and easily.
The National Guard has deployed to the region to assist with recovery. The storms rolled through around 9:25pm on Friday, December 10th, destroying homes, businesses, a candle factory, nursing home, and an Amazon warehouse among other structures.
Submitted by Colleen Roberts, Public Information Officer, City of New Bern