Items to be collected for Kokomo, Louisiana

Flooding has caused devastation in Louisiana this month.
On Wednesday, tornadoes ripped through Kokomo.
Jay County residents want to help.
A pair of community efforts have been put together to collect items for those who are trying to regroup after having their lives turned upside down by Mother Nature.
The Jay County High School Marching Patriots will accept donations that they will then drive to Kokomo, and a Bryant woman is working with a friend from Ohio to send a truckload of items to a church down south.
On Thursday at band practice, baritone player Katie Epler raised her hand.
“(She) wanted to know if we could do something for them,” said JCHS band director Kelly Smeltzer of the residents of Kokomo.
Epler’s question came a few days after Shelby Patterson of Bryant saw friend Megan Fly’s Facebook post regarding collecting items at her home to be mailed to Louisiana. Patterson sent a message suggesting a larger effort — trying to fill a semi with items for the flood victims.
“We put our heads together and what seemed like a crazy idea at the time kind of became a reality within hours and by the next day we had a donation location set up and we were ready to go,” said Patterson.
The Jay County and Kokomo bands competed closely with each other this summer — the Wildkats finished second at the Indiana State Fair, one place ahead of the Marching Patriots — but that rivalry has faded away during this time of need. The local band is passing on the good will shown to it last summer, when members of the Northeastern band volunteered at the Jay County contest and donated funds through an effort dubbed “A dollar a day for Jay.”
“I talked to the section leaders and they were all interested in certainly finding a way we could help,” said Smeltzer.
He contacted Wildkats band director John Pinson and was led to work with United Way of Kokomo, which has provided a list of needed items. Those include water, hygiene products such as toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo, conditioner and hairbrushes, and diapers. Clothing will not be accepted.
The Marching Patriots will accept donations throughout the week, culminating for Friday’s football game against Southern Wells.
Patterson and Fly will collect donations, which will be delivered to St. Amant Church in Louisiana, from 10 a.m. to noon and 4 to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday at the future site of Community and Family Services, 441 N. Meridian St., Portland, as well as the Neptune Community Services building in Ohio. They will accept the same items as well as laundry detergent, plastic totes, phone chargers, non-perishable food, trash bags and supplies for babies, pets and schools.
“Everybody just really needs everything on this list,” said Patterson. “They have nothing on their shelves in Wal-Marts or in their grocery stores. They have no water. They need the food. There’s pets without pet supplies. … It’s just devastating down there. They can’t get the essentials that we take for granted every day.”
When donations are gathered and sorted, the Marching Patriots will drive their offerings to their neighbors 65 miles to the west while a truck will be brought in to haul the items from Patterson’s effort to Louisiana.
For more details about how to help, Patterson can be reached at (567) 279-4050. Smeltzer can be reached at Jay County High School at (260) 726-9306.