When the inside of Providence Baptist Church’s fellowship hall filled to the max, donations of clothes and food started piling up outside. It seemed like the entire state of Alabama showed up to help those affected by tornadoes earlier this week.
Kathie Ledbetter is a member of Providence Baptist Church in the rural area of Lee County. She is not surprised by the huge turn-out of helpers.
“Today, you’ll see outreach from the community. When the tornado came through on Sunday, we had many families who lost everything. People started coming in to help and bringing supplies, clothing, food, paper towels, baby wipes, things like that,” Ledbetter said.
“This is just a special community. You see by the sheer amount of stuff that was brought in. It’s a very close-knit community and I’ve lived here my whole life. We have received amazing support from Auburn and Opelika. It seems like everybody wanted to reach out and help.”
Ledbetter is the former principal at Beauregard Elementary School, so she knows first-hand many of those affected by the storm.
“I’m just hugging my own grandkids a lot and helping out wherever I can,” Ledbetter said. “I feel so grateful when I see all this help. God has blessed us. I’m grateful for my family and that we are safe but also for all the support we’ve received.”
Pastor Rusty Sowell also isn’t surprised by the help pouring into the small-town church.
“This is what I attribute to small-town America. It’s just such a tight-knit community,” Sowell said. “We are dealing with grief, sorrow, and tragedy. But in the midst of it there is some triumph. What you see here, these aren’t just members of our church; they’re people throughout the community who have come to bring supplies and help out.”
Clothing is stacked high on tables scattered throughout the church hall. Multiple boxes of food also has been donated. For Sowell, the response is inspiring.
“It’s just an overwhelming sense of love, compassion, and empathy,” Sowell said. “It makes me hopeful when I see support like this. There is so much bad news and so much division. But to see this gives me hope that we can all get along for a common goal.”
(Courtesy of Alabama NewsCenter)
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