Living by their motto of People Working With People, Thornton Township employees went down to Houston to deliver supplies to the devastated areas in the 5th ward. Once township officials saw the images of people affected, Thornton Township Supervisor Frank M. Zuccarelli soon organized an areawide donation campaign throughout September. Volunteer drivers delivered supplies in trucks donated by Blue Island-based W & W Towing. Along with various other organizations and municipalities such as Lansing, Riverdale, Phoenix and South Holland, they provided to provide supplies in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, which included water, diapers, baby formula, blankets and hygiene care products. A few years ago, Thornton Township also helped during the Flint, Michigan water crisis.
“With the sheer devastation of the storm, we wanted to do something to help the thousands of people in need,” said Frank M. Zuccarelli. “Our hearts and prayers are with the family. We are asking our Thornton Township residents to donate needed supplies to our four township locations.”
The donation was for Restoration Square Full Gospel Baptist Cathedral in northeast Houston. Inside the cavernous worship hall, co-pastor Tracy Glenn helped sort the necessities onto long tables. Of the 150 or so people in Restoration Square, about 10 percent had lost their homes, Glenn said. For the sixth time in less than a month, she was using her church to hand out supplies.
“It’s definitely appreciated,” said Glenn, co-pastor of the Restoration Square Full Gospel Baptist Cathedral. “The donations and love they brought with them, helping us unload, getting items to the people in the community — we’re grateful.”
Six township employees went on the trip including Thornton Township communication manager Ernst Lamothe Jr. Troy O’Quin, Josh Owen, Marshun Tolbert and Julian Wilson.
“We saw some blocks where the homes were completely devastated,” Lamothe Jr. said. “The water line was halfway up the houses and there was a lot of debris out front. Then two or three blocks over, everything was OK.”
Hurricane Harvey caused unprecedented and catastrophic flooding in southeastern Texas. In a four-day period, many areas received more than 40 inches of rain as the system went over eastern Texas and adjacent waters. Harvey is the wettest tropical cyclone on record in the United States. The resulting floods inundated hundreds of thousands of homes, displaced more than 30,000 people, and prompted more than 13,000 rescues.
With people being skeptical of whether their entire Red Cross Donations are going to the cause or if FEMA is reacting quickly enough, Thornton Township wanted to make sure the money and donations went directly to residents.
“All the money donated by individuals for the hurricane relief went 100 percent to the relief and people appreciate that,” said Lamothe Jr.