Mayse collecting crockpots to help with flood relief in West Virginia
COSHOCTON – Sheila Mayse is planning to use her love of crockpots to help those in need in her hometown of Hundred, W.Va.
The community, located in Wetzel County, West Virginia was devastated by a flood in July and then hit by a second flash flood within nine days of the first one.
“They were under a state of emergency for quite a while and the National Guard was there for 12 days,” Mayse said. “Homes and business were destroyed. It’s a poor community economically and they were just really devastated. I’ve been in touch with a congressman (from West Virginia) and trying to help coordinate help from a distance as much as I can, but the people on the ground are doing a lot of work right now.”
She is in constant contact with family members there and knows that a lot of people lost stoves and refrigerators and their ability to cook because of the flood.
“Those are expensive to get replaced,” Mayse said. “Crockpots are something easy for them to use right now. They can put them on in the morning and forget about them until they come back for dinner. They also are economical and don’t use a lot of energy. There are a lot of people right now living in campers, cabins or staying with relatives. This gives them a way to make a nutritious meal and take up very little space.”
Mayse is currently collecting donations of new and gently used (clean and working) crockpots to deliver to West Virginia. She planned to make her first delivery to the area on Aug. 13 and at least two more on Aug. 18 and Aug. 26. In addition to a crockpot, each recipient will receive a set of recipe options for each meal, breakfast, lunch and dinner, along with crockpot safe and efficient cooking tips.
“It’s going to take months for people there to recover and I thought this was a safe (cooking) option for them in terms of their physical safety and getting food at the right temperature and keeping it there.”
Crockpots can be dropped off at Mayse’s MSW Solutions offices at 410 Main St., Second Floor, Coshocton or 325 Chestnut St., Newcomerstown or she is happy to arrange pick up of crockpots at any local location. Crockpots also can be ordered through Wal-Mart online by using its site to store option and listing her as the pickup person or you can have them delivered to one of her offices through Amazon. Mayes’s e-mail is sheilamayse@yahoo.com and her phone number is 740-502-3047. She also will take donations of crockpot liners and oven roasting bags, which can be used for the same purpose.
“I’m so far away from people I love that there isn’t a whole lot I can do to help them,” she said. “I hope that these crockpots serve them over an extended period of time and that I can help as many people as I can.”
Category: People & Places
