By Message Staff
BATON ROUGE – A few days after flooding sent several feet of water into thousands of buildings in southern Louisiana, LSU Baptist Collegiate Ministry Director Steve Masters was contacted by a collegiate minister in Georgia with an offer – fans and dehumidifiers.
Sky Pratt, collegiate minister at Prince Avenue Baptist Church in Bogart, Ga., orchestrated a drive and collected more than 100 fans and 45 dehumidifiers, which were delivered to Masters and distributed within a few days.
Now, Masters is issuing a call for more donations of fans and dehumidifiers.
“Some of the flooded homeowner’s greatest needs are dehumidifiers and fans,” said Masters, whose own home was filled with 58 inches of water last month. “It is of critical importance in rebuilding to have the moisture out of the studs and walls of a house. Any type will work.”
Among those who have received a dehumidifier is Wayne Vincent, an 86-year-old retired minister of education at Istrouma Baptist Church in Baton Rouge. He is grateful Southern Baptists stepped up in his time of need and urges all Southern Baptists to continue sending donations of any kind.
“I would like to thank Prince Avenue Baptist Church for loaning me this dehumidifier so I can help save my house so construction could be underway a little bit sooner than would be ordinarily,” said Vincent, one of the recipients of the gift from Prince Avenue Baptist Church.
Vincent is one of 155,000 homeowners whose houses flooded, and he is one of an estimated 80 percent who did not have flood insurance. He would not have been able to purchase a dehumidifier if it were not for the help of churches like Prince Avenue Baptist Church. Masters said now is the time to help many more like Vincent.
“Designate donations for them to the LBC, a local church or an association,” Masters said. “Or do a drive and collect them at your church. Deliver them or call us and we will come and get them.”
To donate a dehumidifier, contact Masters at 225-964-0830.
