Clayton and Stockbridge area residents will get a chance to help Bahamiam citizens impacted by Hurricane Dorian.
Clayton Schools and the city of Stockbridge have launched relief programs to encourage donations for residents of the Bahamas, whose island nation was devastated by the hurricane earlier this month. More than 50 people are confirmed dead and another 1,300 are still missing.
"As a school system, we are morally obligated to assist our neighbors in times of extreme crisis in any way that we can," Clayton Schools Superintendent Morcease Beasley said in a statement. "Our objective in creating this campaign was to bring relief in any form possible in hopes of improving conditions for the children and families of the Bahamas."
Said Stockbridge City Manager Randy Knighton, “The city of Stockbridge is proud to support the citizens of the Bahamas. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the victims of Hurricane Dorian. We appreciate any community support."
In Stockbridge, donors can drop off toiletries, bottled water and batteries from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. today through Oct. 1 at the city hall building, 4640 North Henry Boulevard in Stockbridge. The Henry County city will donate what it collects to the Foreign Ministry of the Bahamas.
Clayton’s relief campaign will begin Sept. 30 and end Oct. 9, the district said. It is accepting cash donations as well as supplies such as water or chlorine tablets for water purification purposes, hygiene and first aid kits, plastic trash bags, disposable diapers and baby wipes and other toiletries.
The donations can be dropped off at any Clayton school participating in the relief campaign. They will be collected by the school system’s operations division and delivered to the appropriate agencies.
Cash donations should be made directly to the Clayton Public Schools Foundation. If doing so, the district said to select “Bahamas Disaster Relief” under donation type. The funds will be shared through the United Way of Greater Atlanta’s relief efforts.
Donations also may be made in the name of Clayton County Public Schools through the Salvation Army or Project Hope.
“Every donation, whether large or small, makes a difference and it is our sincere hope that all administrators, staff, students, school volunteers and stakeholders participate,” Beasley said.
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