A convoy of love and assistance is scheduled to departBrookhaven for the tornado-stricken areas of Mississippi Thursday,and it’s not too late to send supplies or grab a chainsaw and hopon board.

Faith Presbyterian Church Associate Pastor Pat Davey said a smallteam is leaving for Weir at noon Thursday to take the church’ssmall stash of hurricane shelter supplies and canned food to thatcommunity’s Mt. Moriah Baptist Church and then deliver clothing toMill Springs Missionary Baptist Church, which was destroyed by lastweekend’s severe storm.

Additionally, church member Tom DeHuff is calling for anyone with aday off work and a chainsaw to join him in the church’s southparking lot at 7 a.m. From there, he will leave for Yazoo City fora daylong mission to help clear debris from that hardest-hitarea.

Both excursions will return Thursday night.

“There are 45 homes in Weir that are uninhabitable, and this couldreally provide some people with the stuff they need for a littlewhile,” Davey said. “We’re going to take what we’ve got up thereand do an assessment for another trip. Down the road, there will bea lot of opportunities to help with home rebuilding andconstruction projects. The area that was hit has a lot ofneed.”

Anyone wishing to donate canned foods – specifically green beans,baked beans and corn, the three items Mt. Moriah is servingregularly – may bring them to the church by noon Thursday. Thechurch is also collecting toiletries, hygiene products, diapers andother necessities to deliver to the damaged areas.

Ten people were killed and close to 800 left homeless by Saturday’sF4 tornado, which left an approximately 90-mile swath of wreckageacross several counties stretching from Vicksburg to north-centralMississippi. The tornado was almost two miles wide and had winds inexcess of 170 miles per hour.

Seventeen counties have been declared disaster areas, and theNational Guard is on scene. But the best groups that can respond tosuch disasters are churches, Davey said.

“Throughout Brookhaven, there are church members that have numerousskills,” he said. “That’s what the gospel does. It motivates God’speople to demonstrate the love of Jesus, not only with what we saybut what we do.”