NEWBURGH, Ind. (WEHT) — Marantha Baptist Church is filling up a school bus to drive down to affected areas from Hurricane Helene. Several local businesses in the Tri-State are extending a helping hand in this endeavor.
Marantha Baptist Church began accepting donations on Wednesday and officials say the idea started with a member of the congregation.
Pastor Joey Pearson says a church member has friends in the Ashville area.
“He reached out to them and asked how we could help and they said they just desperately need supplies,” says Pearson. “He says ‘Well I have a bus we can use. What if we just load up a bus and took it down there.’”
The church is hoping to the school bus and say the biggest needs are baby supplies like diapers, cereal, bottles with formula and paper products like toilet paper.
The pastor says he is surprised by the turnout so far. Most of the seats are already full, with two more days to go, he hopes to fill the entire bus.
“We are to walk and live by faith and also put our faith into action,” says Pearson. “What an opportunity we have to put our faith into action and help people who need it.”