Organizations lend a helping hand to Ky. tornado survivors

LONDON, Ky. (WKYT) - While countless London residents pick up the pieces of their lives following Friday night’s tornado, there are several organizations that are stepping up right now to lend them a helping hand.

On Meadowlane Road, the tornado ripped apart Pearl Orrill’s home.

“I thought I was prepared for it, but I guess you never get prepared for it. I couldn’t do anything but cry,” she said.

Orrill said through her darkest moments, various church groups have stopped by to offer a warm meal, water, and supplies to help get her back on her feet.

“That means everything, to know that there’s still a lot of good people in this world,” Orrill said.

One of the church groups that stopped by was Faith Assembly of God.

Church members were even helping to repair Tim Gilreath’s home just up the street.

“When you throw this amount of hands to it and you know they’re here to help you no matter what, it’s very touching,” Gilreath said.

While they’re out in the hard-hit areas, volunteers were also back at the church distributing supplies donated by Convoy of Hope, and meals prepared by Mercy Chefs.

“Mercy chefs, we put love on a plate,” said Mercy Chefs CEO and founder Gary LeBlanc.

LeBlanc said after losing a grandmother and his daughter losing her home in Hurricane Katrina, he knows the importance of help like this.

“Just to provide a moment of hope, a moment of comfort. It’s where people will really contemplate their circumstances for the first time since the storm. It’s a place where neighbors can help neighbors, and that is the best way to recovery,” LeBlanc said.

LeBlanc added Mercy Chefs will be serving the survivors, first responders, and others in recovery efforts, for as long as they’re needed.