WESTON, Mo. — With parts of the Midwest dealing with flooding along the Missouri River, some groups in the Kansas City metro are stepping up to help people in need.
At Weston United Methodist Church, members have been collecting supplies and donations for the last few days to put together cleaning kits.
The church, which dates back to the Civil War era, hopes to eventually give the kits to homes and businesses in the area that have to clean up after flooding.
“I started thinking we need to be doing something about this,” Director of Student Ministries John Birkhead said. “These are our neighbors, even if they’re not here in Weston.”
Since last Saturday, the church has been collecting many different items, from laundry detergent and soap to towels and sponges.
Birkhead told 41 Action News that the cleaning kits will end up coming in handy in the aftermath of flooding.
“You’re getting into mold and all sorts of things,” he said. “It contains a lot of the basic things that somebody will need and you fill it up. There’s even directions on how to fill it up.”
Donations started coming in after church members knocked on doors in the neighborhood and notified nearby businesses of the effort.
“There’s been a few kits and about $500 come in,” Birkhead said. “This simple bucket can be put together by any family.”
Weston could see floodwaters this week, and as a precaution, leaders temporarily moved City Hall operations to the local police department.
While Birkhead said the cleaning supplies could stay in Weston to help impacted people, he also hoped to help other areas.
“We will take them to our neighbors as far as we need to take them,” he said.
With flooding still bringing plenty of concerns this week across the region, Birkhead hoped the donation effort could help show people impacted by the conditions that they are not alone.
“When our brothers and sisters are hurting, we’re called to help,” he said. “All we’re trying to do is love our neighbors.”
For more information about the Weston United Methodist Church flood relief project, click here.
