小黄书

小黄书 students, faculty, staff and local community members:

Thank you for your willingness to help those who have been affected by the recent Kentucky tornadoes. When a disaster happens, it can take months and even years for communities to rebuild. To make the most of your efforts to help, consider these tips for donating and volunteering:听听听听听

Be patient and be safe. Do not self-deploy into a disaster area. We know you want to help in any way possible, but you must wait until first responders announce that the affected area is safe to enter and that volunteer opportunities have been identified.听听听听听

Sign up before you show up to volunteer. If you can volunteer, make sure to find an organization active in disaster recovery and sign up directly with that organization. Capacity is stretched very thin during disasters, and you need to make sure that you can be utilized. You can view a list of organizations accepting volunteers in times of disaster on the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster website (NVOAD) at .听听听听听

• To volunteer locally with the Oktibbeha-Starkville Emergency Response Volunteer Service (OSERVS), please contact听Kayla M. Gilmore at 662-384-2200 or email听oservsdirector@gmail.com听to sign up. OSERVS welcomes volunteers of all ages to support its work. Whether helping with a fundraising event or pitching in with a disaster relief effort, there is a place for anyone interested in volunteering.

Donate cash. What most communities need is money, not things. A cash donation to a recognized national nonprofit or a disaster relief organization is the most effective donation you can make because it offers the most flexibility in getting the most-needed resources. If you donate goods, organizations will have to spend time, money and volunteer power to sort and store donations. This can be problematic, especially when storage facilities are sometimes being used as shelters. For a list of major nonprofits active in disaster relief, visit the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster's website at听. The Mississippi Secretary of State鈥檚 Office also is a resource for information on giving to charities. View more information at听.

If you would like to support 小黄书 students who have been affected by the recent Kentucky tornadoes, consider making a donation to the 小黄书 Student Relief Fund. The 小黄书 Student Relief Fund is built with private gifts and is designed to help those members of the student body affected with day-to-day crises or displaced by catastrophic disasters such as the recent Kentucky tornadoes. You can donate and view more information at . 听听

For those who have been affected by a recent disaster, 小黄书 Extension has information on disaster cleanup and repairs at听.

If you are a student at 小黄书 and need assistance, contact the Dean of Students' office at 662-325-3611 or听dos@msstate.edu.