FOR RELEASE
2003-10-30
Huntington, Ind.—Kevin Vanden Akker, Huntington College athletic trainer, is organizing a clothes drive in Huntington for the people of Liberia, West Africa. Zay’s Rental has donated a truck to be filled with various supplies collected for the Liberian Relief Drive. The truck will be located in the parking lot of the Merillat Complex for Physical Education and Recreation (MCPER) on Saturday, Nov. 1, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Torn by civil war for the past 23 years, the Liberian people are suffering unbelievable tragedies and cruelties. Rebels plunder the population, leaving the people with nothing but the clothes on their backs. With a new peace accord in Liberia, the port is now open for relief goods to enter. A 40-foot container will be filled in Grand Rapids, Mich., and shipped to Liberia in early November. Supplies should arrive in Liberia by Christmas. After everything has been collected, Vanden Akker, who was born and raised in Liberia, will take all the supplies collected in Huntington to Grand Rapids.
Materials that are desperately needed include:
any kind of clothing for all ages
sweatshirts (no winter coats)
shoes
towels
bedding
mattresses (no box springs)
eyeglasses
cooking utensils, pots, pans and silverware
The MCPER will host the Huntington College Volleyball Invitational Saturday morning at 9 a.m., and the first men’s basketball game of the season at 4 p.m. “If you can give even the smallest of donations it will be appreciated,” said Vanden Akker. “Come out to watch a volleyball tournament or the men's basketball game and bring items along to drop off!”
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