St. Michael hosting drive for supplies for Puerto Rico

Published 7:23 pm Wednesday, September 27, 2017

Hurricane Irma and Maria have demolished the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico.

Thousands have been left homeless and without the essentials for life.

In an effort to help those suffering, supplies are being collected from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at St. Michael Catholic Church on behalf of the Puerto Rico Rises initiative.

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The desire to do something locally has been personal for many of the Puerto Rican families who live here in Vicksburg, one of whom is Mariely Mejias.

“Last week when we saw the devastation and us not being able to hear from our families for a few days and watching the news of the devastation, it just made us think this is a call for us to help,” Mejias said, adding “for all Puerto Ricans living outside of the Island this is a good time to help.”

Supplies needed include baby wipes, hand sanitizer, diapers, canned goods, dry foods, baby formula, garbage bags, towels, canned milk, canned and dry pet food, baby and adult pain relief medication, stomach and diarrhea relief medication, mosquito repellant, blankers, pillows, first-aid kits, laundry detergents, dish soap and cots.

No money will be collected Saturday, Mejias said, but for those interested in making a monetary donation, visit unitedforpuertorico.com.

For more information on the disaster relief effort in Vicksburg, call 601-630-5554 or 601-631-4597.

About Terri Cowart Frazier

Terri Frazier was born in Cleveland. Shortly afterward, the family moved to Vicksburg. She is a part-time reporter at The Vicksburg Post and is the editor of the Vicksburg Living Magazine, which has been awarded First Place by the Mississippi Press Association. She has also been the recipient of a First Place award in the MPA’s Better Newspaper Contest’s editorial division for the “Best Feature Story.”

Terri graduated from Warren Central High School and Mississippi State University where she received a bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis in public relations.

Prior to coming to work at The Post a little more than 10 years ago, she did some freelancing at the Jackson Free Press. But for most of her life, she enjoyed being a full-time stay at home mom.

Terri is a member of the Crawford Street United Methodist Church. She is a lifetime member of the Vicksburg Junior Auxiliary and is a past member of the Sampler Antique Club and Town and Country Garden Club. She is married to Dr. Walter Frazier.

“From staying informed with local governmental issues to hearing the stories of its people, a hometown newspaper is vital to a community. I have felt privileged to be part of a dedicated team at The Post throughout my tenure and hope that with theirs and with local support, I will be able to continue to grow and hone in on my skills as I help share the stories in Vicksburg. When asked what I like most about my job, my answer is always ‘the people.’

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