AP Photo Archive
The Rexburg community helped gather food and supplies to help out the people in those areas that were hit hardest during Hurricane Katrina. Area businesses like Melaleuca, Kmart, WinCo Foods and many others participated in the relief effort.

Elder Gerrard speaks on defining moments

by Merideth Call CAL05009@BYUI.EDU Scroll Staff

Residents of the Gem State have poured out their kindness and provisions to lend a helping hand to those who have lost everything due to Hurricane Katrina.

 Hundreds of businesses, schools, stores and organizations are donating their time and efforts to bring comfort to those who survived the storm.

 Melaleuca Inc. president, Frank VanderSloot, flew to Baton Rouge, La., to drop off supplies at several shelters.

 “We took some food, some snacks and things,” VanderSloot said. “They didn’t last long.”

 He flew back home last Tuesday with some extra passengers — three families.

 VanderSloot said he was taking one — an elderly couple, their granddaughter and two Pomeranians — to stay with relatives in Salt Lake City.

Another family needed transportation to San Diego, so he gave them a ride to Utah and was trying to find a way to get them from Salt Lake City to California.

The third family is coming to Idaho Falls with VanderSloot, who said he’d give them a job and allow them to stay with him as long as they needed to stay.

“These people are lost,” VanderSloot said. “They’re alive, but they’ve lost their lives. You wish you could help everyone, but you help the ones you can.”

The local Rexburg Kmart collected donations of toys, games, books, craft and handiwork supplies last week to ship to hurricane victims.

John Young, a representative of the project, said that they were trying to fill a semitruck with supplies. It was filled halfway by Friday night.

WinCo Foods LLC and its more than 8,000 employees in Wash., Idaho, Nev., Calif., and Ore., have contributed $200,000 to hurricane Katrina victims by donating through the American Red Cross of Greater Idaho.

“The magnitude of this disaster and its toll on people and property is both sobering and staggering,” said Michael Read, spokesperson for WinCo Foods.

“WinCo is pleased to be in a position to be able to assist in the relief effort and we hope our contribution will make a positive impact. We encourage others who are able to support the relief efforts as well,” said Read.

If you are interested in donating to hurricane relief funds, you may visit www.worldvision.org, as well as many other organizations around Idaho.