MANNFORD, OKLA (KTUL) — An alliance of churches in Mannford coordinated efforts to help people affected by the fire that destroyed 30 to 50 homes in Mannford on Friday.
“Mannford’s got a pretty awesome network of pastors who choose to work together, and we get together and we plan and we group, that way we don’t duplicate everything,” said Chris Wilson, the Family Pastor at The First Baptist Church in Mannford.
“First Baptist and Assembly are food. Clothing is First Baptist and Methodist. And then shelter is Methodist,” said Scott Larrison, the Campus Pastor at Victory mannford Church
Victory Mannford Church handed out clothing and food yesterday and today on Trower Boulevard.
“People brought things from north, south, east, and west just to bless. And so we’ve got an abundance right now that we can disperse to all the people just like they did in the scriptures,” said Larrison.
They’ve since merged their supplies with the First Methodist Church of Mannford, which is where the Red Cross is stationed, providing shelter.
Red Cross says they had three people stay the night last night, and they’re expecting at least five people tonight.
Across the street from them, The First Baptist Church set itself up to be the hub of supplies and distribution for Mannford and surrounding communities.
“Providing everything from food, clothing, shoes, animal feed, toiletries, all the basic necessities you need including also having showers available, and working with the churches in the community around us to help get meals prepared, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and also housing around us,” said Wilson.
Services that Zach Johnson, a Mannford resident, tells NewsChannel 8 he’s grateful for after his house burned down on Friday.
“We’ve got some different clothing and shoes and stuff from up there. We lost pretty much everything,” said Johnson.
Despite losing everything, Johnson says that this whole experience has made him feel blessed.
“I’m blessed, honestly. It takes something like this to just see how blessed we are with friends and family and the community that we live in,” said Johnson.
Wilson says First Baptist Church will provide its services through next Monday unless it’s needed for longer.
Red Cross says if you’ve lost your home, or need medical assistance, or counseling, you can reach out to them at 1-800-RED-CROSS.
Wilson says if people want to help with these efforts, the best thing they can do right now is get people who need these services in touch with the pastors in the community.
First Baptist Church put a pause on item donations, but they are taking monetary donations. You can donate by going there directly or by going to their website.
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