Foley Collecting Hurricane Relief Supplies

FOLEY – Residents who want to help their Florida neighbors affected by Hurricanes Milton and  Helene can drop off supplies in Foley to be shipped to the areas hit by the storm.

Collections will begin Wednesday, Oct. 9, at the Foley United Methodist Church. Collection times will be 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and Monday through Wednesday, Oct. 16. The church is located at 915 N. Pine St.

David Wilson, Foley executive director of public safety, said city workers and vehicles will take the items collected to a site in Florida to be determined. 

Firefighters from Foley, Gulf Shores and Orange Beach have already helped take one load of emergency supplies to Orlando, Florida to help victims of Hurricane Helene.

Items from the current collection will be transported to a location to be determined after Hurricane Milton passes through Florida.

“It's projected to hit it at (Category) 3-plus, and those areas have already been hit,” Wilson said at the Foley City Council meeting Monday. “It's not imaginable what they're about to go through.”

The City Council also approved funding to help relief efforts.

Mayor Ralph Hellmich said Foley residents and others who live on the Gulf Coast all know the effects of a hurricane.

“This sort of effort is good,” Hellmich said. “We've been the recipient of that at some time in the past, and we've had people help us, who have helped us a lot.”  

The mayor said that while the hurricanes have not directly impacted Foley, people evacuating from areas affected by the storms are filling many area hotels. 

Particular items needed include cleaning buckets, five-gallon buckets with lids, liquid laundry detergent, dish soap, insect repellent, scrub brushes with plastic or wood handles, cleaning wipes, sponges, heavy-duty trash bags, dust masks, kitchen gloves, work gloves and medium and large plastic tote containers.

Clothing is not needed at this time. Clothing donations will not be accepted.