Hurricane Harvey: How you can help

Local efforts are underway to help the victims of Hurricane Harvey, which slammed into Texas over the weekend and has flooded the Houston area and beyond with more than 2 feet of rain.

In Greencastle

The Mason-Dixon Council Boy Scouts of America is organizing a relief effort to send some immediately needed supplies to Galveston.

Boy Scout Troop 99 in Greencastle is teaming with Sunnyway Foods and will be collecting items on Saturday, Sept 2, at the grocery store on North Antrim Way, Greencastle, from 10 a.m. to noon.

Items needed include:

Bottled water

Toiletries (toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, shampoo, bath towels, etc.)

Toilet paper

Disposable diapers and other baby needs (baby powder, formula, baby shampoo, etc.)

Canned and staple food items

Batteries, battery-operated flashlights/lanterns

Blankets/pillows, etc.

Small activity books with crayons or card games for children

In Chambersburg

Green Stream Solutions LLC and Heritage In-Home Services are spearheading a community drive to assist with the relief effort in the Houston area. Specifically, the local team is working with the Bowie, Texas, Chamber of Commerce.

Gabler Trucking of Chambersburg has agreed to place a trailer at 540 Fifth Ave., Chambersburg (next to TB Wood’s), as the drop-off point. Items needed include bottled water, baby diapers, adult diapers (Depends), personal care items (toothpaste, toothbrushes, hair brushes, mouth wash), crayons, coloring books, reading books for kids, baby bottles, blankets for adults and kids, socks and underwear. Donations will be accepted through Sept. 19.

For more information, call Steve Carll, Green Stream Solutions 717-659-0193 or 717-659-0911 or Peg Carll or April Kennedy, Heritage In-Home, 717-593-0242 or 717-377-5980

In the Diocese of Harrisburg

A special collection for Hurricane Harvey relief efforts will be held this weekend in all parishes of the Diocese of Harrisburg, which includes Franklin County. This is a part of the U.S. Catholic Bishops emergency collection to assist the millions of people affected by the hurricane and the humanitarian and recovery efforts of Catholic Charities USA and pastoral and rebuilding support to impacted dioceses.

For those not able to donate this weekend, parishes will be accepting donations for the next two weekends. Donations should be marked for Hurricane Harvey Relief. Contributions can also be made online at www.HbgDiocese.org/donate via the Natural Disasters option.

Bishop Ronald W. Gainer of the Diocese of Harrisburg is urging all Catholics to offer prayers for those affected including the first responders and also to give generously. He cited the plea of Bishop José H. Gomez, archbishop of Los Angeles and vice president of the USCCB, “Our hearts and prayers go out to the families that have lost loved ones and to all who have lost homes and businesses along with their sense of peace and normalcy. We also stand with our brother bishops in the region who have the difficult task of providing pastoral care in these most trying times while managing their own losses. Our prayerful and financial support is urgently needed.”