St. Zita Disaster Relief and Recovery (SZDRR) headed out on Wednesday, Dec. 22 for Kentucky with a pick-up truck and U-Haul trailer full of the supplies donated by the faithful. SZDRR traveled to Christ the King Catholic Church and then the Knights of Columbus’ (Council 3611) Pavilion in Madisonville, KY to drop off the supplies. Madisonville was one of the many locations hit by the Dec. 10 tornado. The supplies were not only distributed in Madisonville, but also to several small communities in the tornado’s path. According to Linda Pohuski, coordinator for SZDRR, the supplies were “given directly into the hands of people who needed them.”

Later the same day, the group spent time shopping for a family affected by the tornado. “We were able to buy an electric heater, shawls, jackets, hats, gloves, scarfs, socks, towels, wash cloths, shoes, work gloves and a few Christmas surprises as well,” said Pohuski. Before the day ended the group reached out to assist the First Baptist Church of Dawson Springs.

“As we crawled into bed that night,” Pohuski remembered, “we were so grateful to everyone for their support, love, and donations so we could help our neighbors in need. We were exhausted but grateful. We talked about what we had seen that day. Total devastation. Most of the homes in the area we toured were totally gone. The ones that were standing were mostly off their foundation and some had slid onto the roadway. We also saw people helping people. People of all ages had come together to support, provide for, and love one another.”

The next morning, the group traveled to Hopkinsville to purchase items such as rakes, shovel, work gloves, brooms, and heaters for the First Baptist Church of Dawson Springs.

“After dropping off our first round of supplies at the church we went to deliver our Christmas surprises to our ‘adopted’ family,” said Pohuski. “They were extremely grateful. We spent time visiting and listening to their tornado story. The mother, who is 91, was picked up by her son to ride out the storm in his home. Her home survived, but his did not.”

After visiting with the family, the group drove back to Hopkinsville to purchase more items for the Baptist church, which included 25 towels, 40 one-gallon laundry detergent bottles, and 20 pillows and cases. “After delivering these items we headed home to Huntsville with the joy of Christmas in our hearts,” she exclaimed.

Expressing her gratitude on behalf of the group, Pohuski stated, “Thank you to everyone who donated, packed, loaded and prayed for us during this Advent journey. … We could not do this without each of you! We thank you for always supporting us, donating when we ask, praying for the success of the collection and delivery, [and] sharing us on Facebook … When a disaster strikes, it takes a village to help out our neighbors.”