Walmart provides services to those affected by last week's tornado
London's Walmart Supercenter, located at 1851 Highway 192 W, is providing hot food, showers, restrooms, laundry service, Gorilla glue, and a charging station to those impacted by last week's tornado.
The laundry tent and shower trailer, powered by Matthew 25: Ministries, are set up outside of the shopping center between 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Those utilizing the trailers must sign a waiver, each trailer having its own.
At the laundry trailer, team members have been washing, drying, and folding laundry for free. The services do not include heavy bedding, such as comforters, or shoes. There is also a limit of two loads per household. A text is sent to those who dropped off items when their laundry is ready for pick up.
In addition to showers, the shower trailer has restrooms. There are four standard stalls, as well as an ADA-accessible one. Shampoo, conditioner, body wash and towels are provided.
Megan Westheider, Disaster Relief Team Member with Matthew 25: Ministries, said team members arrived Sunday and began their first day of operations Monday. She shared Procter & Gamble, Walmart, and Tide are providing the items.
"We're going to be here for the next few days," said Westheider. "We don't have a set end-date just yet."
To stay updated on potential location changes or early closures, visit the ministry's website at m25m.org.
"For us, it's important to take some of the burden off of the people in this area. By coming here and us providing that laundry service, they can have that time to deal with their insurance, go shopping, or spend time with their family," Westheider stated. "It's just one more thing off of their shoulders are we are more than happy to do that for them."
Glenda Fleming-Willis, Senior Vice President over Walmart's North Business Unit, said their team began setting up as early as Saturday afternoon.
"When natural disasters happen, we have an Emergency Operations Center and our local field operators get together and we start determining the community needs, then we start to deploy with our partners," said Fleming-Willis.
The Gorilla glue trailer, powered by Matthew 25: Ministries, and charging station, provided by Information Technology Disaster Resource Center, are also on site.
Further, Operation BBQ Relief has set up a tent outside of the store. The organization has been providing warm meals to community members at 12 noon and 4 p.m. daily, until the food runs out. Operation BBQ Relief is also present at Hart Baptist Church, located at 1 Hart Church Road, at the same times.
For those interested in contributing donations, Walmart additionally has an indoor bin where it is accepting community donations.
"The needs will change, and we will change with the needs," said Charles Mcglothen, Market Manager. "We're committed to the community. We're committed to our associates. We're here for the long haul."
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