CONWAY — The western Massachusetts regional Lions Club has announced a $10,000 disaster relief grant to help residents recover from Saturday’s tornado.
“In the spirit of community, we try and help our neighbors,” Pam Hodgkins, president of the local Deerfield chapter said Wednesday. “Lions Club is a great resource in times of natural disasters.”
At the Town Hall Wednesday, Hodgkins and Carr told local officials including Fire Chief Robert Baker and Selectboard Chairman John P. O’Rourke about the grant.
The Lions Club International Foundation awarded the money after the western Mass. district, led by Gov. Linda Carr, a Southwick resident, applied for the grant.
“That’s what Lions is all about, we help people in need,” Carr said while standing in the South Deerfield Fire Department parking lot — a rally point where Lions Club members from across the region gathered before heading to Conway. “I’ve got a whole bunch of people wanting to help out.”
Carr noted that the grant is restricted to food, clothing, water and medical supplies. Subsequent grants, if awarded, are not restricted, and during past disaster relief efforts, money has been used to rebuild homes and set up temporary homes. “It all depends on the magnitude. This is just the first phase. We’ll have to see if more is needed,” she said.
Grant funding “will support Lions-led relief efforts during the various stages of disaster relief operations,” according to a statement from the club.
Broadly speaking, the national grant is specified for “Lions districts interested in addressing the immediate needs of disaster victims in the wake of a natural disaster.” Those needs include “purchase and distribution of basic necessities of food, water, clothing, blankets, first-aid items and cleaning supplies.”
To date globally, the Lions Club’s website says the foundation has awarded more than $50 million in grants to fund humanitarian work.
The Deerfield Lions Club, which, over the years, has absorbed Lions Clubs in Whately, Montague, Erving and other Franklin County towns, will help the western Mass. district distribute the grant money at a local level. Hodgkins said some members attend the United Congregational Church of Conway, which was damaged during the storm.
Meanwhile, a GoFundMe page for relief efforts set up by the town has raised $12,296 as of 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, up about $2,000 from the day before.
You can reach Andy Castillo
at: acastillo@recorder.com
or 413-772-0261, ext. 263
On Twitter: @AndyCCastillo