Matthew 25’s Team Will Distribute Supplies and Provide Essential Services to Impacted Areas

SEPTEMBER 1, 2023 Blue Ash, OH – Matthew 25: Ministries, a humanitarian aid and disaster relief organization headquartered in Blue Ash, OH is deploying a Disaster Response Team to areas impacted by Hurricane Idalia.  The storm made landfall near Keaton Beach, FL early Wednesday morning as a Category 3 hurricane with 125 mph winds, making Idalia one of the strongest storms to impact the Big Bend region in over 100 years.  Idalia then swept through Florida and along the southeastern U.S. coastline, becoming a tropical storm as it headed toward the ocean. At its peak, approximately 300,000 homes and businesses were without power across Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas.

In partnership with Procter & Gamble, Matthew 25: Ministries will be deploying a Disaster Response Team to provide supplies and services to areas impacted by the disaster, along with a selection of Matthew 25’s Disaster Response Fleet including the Tide Loads of Hope Mobile Laundry Unit, customized panel trucks, and a Clean-up Trailer. The team will provide laundry services from a stationary location, and distribute supplies including personal care kits, first aid and safety kits, bug repellant, diapers, cleaning supplies, batteries, device chargers, chainsaws, drills, generators, fans, and additional cleanup tools and supplies throughout the region.  Matthew 25 will also be shipping truckloads of aid to partners serving the disaster area, loaded with supplies such as personal care supplies, baby items, paper products, insect repellant, cleaning supplies and more. Matthew 25 will continue working with partners serving the impacted areas to assess ongoing needs.

In preparation for their response, Matthew 25 is requesting monetary and product donations to supplement existing supplies and for restocking during their response to this current and future disasters.

Monetary donations: Donate online or mail checks to Matthew 25: Ministries, 11060 Kenwood Road, Blue Ash, OH 45242 (100% of donated funds designated for the 2023 Hurricane Idalia will be used for the purpose intended).

Product donations – The following product donations will be accepted at our facility located at 11083 Kenwood Road, Blue Ash, OH 45242:

• • Cases of bottled water (12- and 24- count)
  • Personal care products: Antibacterial soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo, body wash, deodorant, lotion, etc.
  • Cleaning supplies: Laundry detergents, general cleaner, sponges, bleach (powdered form is preferred), mops, scrub brushes, buckets, rubber gloves, etc.
  • Paper products: Toilet paper, paper towels, etc.
  • Baby and infant supplies: Diapers, wipes, diaper rash ointment, baby wash, baby shampoo, baby lotion, etc.
  • First-aid items: Bandages, gauze, pads, first aid tape, antiseptic creams, hydrogen peroxide, alcohol, latex gloves, instant cold packs, etc.
  • Candles and flashlights: If necessary, please include the appropriate size batteries with any flashlight donation.
  • Clean-up supplies: Protective eyewear, work gloves, trash bags etc.

Matthew 25 responds to disasters domestically and internationally and provides both rapid response and long-term support. In 2023, Matthew 25 has responded to disasters including the wildfires in Hawaii, Fort Lauderdale flooding, Syria and Turkey earthquakes, the East Palestine train derailment, additional multiple storms, floods and tornadoes, and is continuing response for the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. Matthew 25: Ministries has shipped nearly 23 million pounds of supplies in 2023, including approximately 8.5 million pounds of disaster relief, and helped approximately 26 million people.

For the most current information on Matthew 25: Ministries’ activities, please visit their website https://m25m.org/disaster/idalia23/ or follow Matthew 25 on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/m25m.org, Instagram https://www.instagram.com/m25m_org/ and Twitter https://twitter.com/M25M_org. For more in-depth information about Matthew 25: Ministries’ humanitarian aid and disaster relief efforts, please contact Michelle Jones mjones@m25m.org.

Matthew 25: Ministries accepts cash, check, credit card and online donations for ongoing humanitarian aid and disaster relief programs, as well as product donation support. Matthew 25 also welcomes volunteers six days a week at their Blue Ash facility.

ABOUT MATTHEW 25: MINISTRIES: Matthew 25: Ministries rescues and reuses approximately 15,000,000 pounds of products each year and redistributes them to the poorest of the poor and disaster victims. Each year, Matthew 25: Ministries impacts the lives of more than 20,000,000 individuals throughout the United States and around the world. Matthew 25 is included on Forbes’ 2022 list of America’s Top 100 Charities, is a 4-star nonprofit on Charity Navigator and has earned a Platinum-Level Candid Exchange seal. Matthew 25: Ministries is accredited by the Better Business Bureau through the “Wise Giving Alliance Standards.” For more information, or to schedule an interview, contact Michelle Jones mjones@m25m.org at Matthew 25: Ministries (513) 793-6256, or visit https://m25m.org/.