In Collaboration with Procter & Gamble and Walmart, Matthew 25 is Deploying a Team to Assist Impacted Communities

SEPTEMBER 27, 2024, BLUE ASH, OH – – – Matthew 25: Ministries, a humanitarian aid and disaster relief organization headquartered in Blue Ash, OH is responding to Hurricane Helene, which made landfall as an extremely dangerous category 4 storm with maximum winds of 140MPH on Thursday night near Perry, Florida. Helene is the strongest hurricane on record to slam into Florida’s Big Bend, causing unprecedented damage and flooding. The storm has resulted in at least seven fatalities and caused widespread devastation across the southeastern U.S. Helene’s storm surge reached up to 15 feet in some areas along Florida’s coast, inundating coastal communities. Rainfall totals have exceeded 15 inches in portions of Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina, with additional flash flooding and landslides expected. Over 4 million households are without power across Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas. As the storm weakens to a tropical storm, it continues to pose significant risks to inland areas, bringing heavy rain, strong winds, and the threat of tornadoes as it tracks northward through Georgia and the Carolinas toward the Ohio Valley.

In collaboration with Procter & Gamble and Walmart, Matthew 25: Ministries is deploying their Disaster Response Team equipped with a range of fleet vehicles, including Tide Loads of Hope Mobile Laundry units, shower trailers, and co-branded panel trucks. The team will offer critical services such as laundry and shower facilities and distribute essential supplies, including P&G personal care kits, baby products, paper goods, Zevo insect repellent, as well as additional items like garbage bags, cleaning supplies, and first aid and safety kits provided by Cintas to areas affected by the hurricane. Matthew 25 will also deploy the Duracell PowerForward truck, equipped with up to 20,000 Duracell batteries as well as on-board charging stations for mobile devices.

Matthew 25 is also in contact with local partners throughout the impacted states and is preparing shipments of aid for rapid and long-term recovery efforts. Matthew 25 has responded to several hurricanes in Florida with services and supplies, including Hurricane Michael in 2018, Hurricane Idalia in 2023, and Hurricane Francine earlier this year. Additionally, Matthew 25’s disaster relief resource map, which shows locations where people impacted by the hurricane can access services and supplies such as shelter and food, will be available at https://m25m.org/resourcemaps/.

“This is a hurricane of tremendous size and destructiveness,” said Tim Mettey, CEO of Matthew 25: Ministries. “I have been with our teams on prior disaster deployments and have seen the incredible damage these storms can cause. I have also seen the remarkable resilience of the people in Florida.  Their courage and determination is immense. With the help of our generous and caring partners, we are once again committed to bringing hope and providing the critical services and supplies needed to help these communities heal and rebuild.”

Matthew 25 is requesting monetary and product donations to supplement existing supplies and for restocking during their response to this 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 Hurricane Helene will be used for the purpose intended).
• Product donations: Please visit https://m25m.org/disaster/helene24/ for a list of requested items.

Matthew 25 responds to disasters domestically and internationally and provides both rapid response and long-term support. In 2024, Matthew 25 has responded to multiple severe weather and tornado events that swept through portions of the Southeast in early January, tornadoes that struck middle Ohio in February, the Midwest tornadoes in March, the Great Plains tornadoes in April, South and Midwest tornadoes in May, Northern Midwest tornadoes in June, Hurricane Beryl in July, Tropical Storm Debby in August, Hurricane Francine in September, the Texas Wildfires and the Helena, AR water crisis. Matthew 25 is also continuing response for the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, which is now in its third year of conflict. Matthew 25: Ministries has shipped over 22 million pounds of supplies in 2024, including nearly 3 million pounds of disaster relief, and helped more than 26 million people.

For the most current information on Matthew 25: Ministries’ activities, please visit their website https://m25m.org/disaster/helene24/  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 at 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 20,000,000 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 25,000,000 individuals throughout the United States and around the world. Matthew 25 is included on Forbes’ 2023 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/.