Friday, May 08, 2009
Many hands reach out to help Buchanan
Marty Rickman. — Cathy Benson, The Botetourt View
Priscilla Richardson is columnist The Botetourt View. You can contact her at 981-3430 or via e-mail.
Priscilla Richardson
Recent columns
By the time you read this, Buchanan's "boil water before drinking" crisis may be over or it may not. No one knows how long it will take to get even a temporary solution, according to Michael Burton, a member of the Buchanan Town Council. "The town has been working hard to find a short term solution. The mayor [Tom Middlecamp] has been working with the county."
However, as Burton related and everyone in Buchanan now knows, lots of bottled water has been donated for shut-ins or the ill. Those who cannot manage to boil their drinking water or to get out to buy bottled water can get it. And a group of citizens has gotten together to see that safe water has been and is being distributed to those folks.
Marina Gopadze and Marty Rickman have headed up the distribution effort, with the help of Liz Provost. Rickman and other members of the volunteer fire department have unloaded case after case of water to store it in the town's Main Street firehouse.
"So many people are delivering, we can't keep track of all of it," said Rickman. "We've been pretty busy, we got one whole trailer load with 3,000 gallons on it." He estimated they've gotten 7,000 gallons so far in different sized bottles.
Rickman works a full time job, at Gala Industries, but he's devoted his free time to this effort. Gopadze, the minister of Buchanan Presbyterian, known as one of the hardest working folks in our area, has taken on the job of recording donations, writing thank you's, and seeing that no one who needs the water goes without.
In addition, Gopadze and Provost arranged delivery of some water to every home in Buchanan starting on Tuesday, April 28, even though many residents are able to boil their water. And they have set up a spot at the fire department's storage area on Lowe Street where someone will be available from time to time to hand out water.
Of course, they're continuing to arrange home delivery to the ill and shut-ins, of whom there are about 100 on the list of town water customers. Those in that group only need call for delivery.
The response to the news of Buchanan's problem, according to Gopadze, includes water from New Hope Presbyterian Church, Cameron Smith, Pastor, Salem; Starting Point Ministries, Bryon Roth, leader, Roanoke; God's Pit Crew out of Danville; Bethel Baptist Church, Salem; and Cool Spring Presbyterian Church, Geoff Hubbard, Pastor, Thaxton.
"Cool Spring Presbyterian Church, bless their hearts, brought three cases out," Gopadze said. "Geoff used it as a teaching moment for three young people in his church. We read Scriptures about 'giving to the least of these' and we prayed together for the people to have all the pure water they need."
The list of donors seems short but you have to remember that truckloads of water came, thousands of gallons at a time. And Benton Bolton came with his Kiwanis Club members to deliver water, too.
For those who were afraid to eat in Buchanan's many fine restaurants, don't be, Karen Saul, regional district supervisor for food programs through the health department, said. "Buchanan restaurants are serving bottled water. Water for coffee or tea is either bottled or has been boiled and cooled. All the restaurants have been given notice and been inspected by the health department."
The reaction of the town's folks to the crisis and the donations? Burton summed it all up. "Been outstanding, very outstanding and we're very appreciative. It's been great, shows there are a lot of caring people."
