Mary Potter, photos submitted
Tuesday, January 25, 2022 11:45 am
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Following the December 10th tornado that devastated towns in western Kentucky and Tennessee, help has flooded in. Donations of food, clothing, dry goods and furniture filled warehouses.
Visits from officials like Governor Beshear, President Biden and Senator McConnell have kept a spotlight on one of the most badly damaged towns. In Mayfield, where a central portion of the county seat of Graves County was leveled, help continues to arrive. Generous donors with the help of local dealerships have recently given vehicles to victims who cannot afford to replace ones flattened by the storm. One generous man supplies generators and keeps them filled with propane.
One group is helping Mayfield residents in a unique way. Members of Four Rivers Indivisible, led by Leslie McColgin, decided to distribute good quality high filtration masks, such as KN95 or KF94, to residents affected by the disaster. Graves County has been one of the hardest hit for the infection since it began. Funds were raised, masks were ordered and distribution began. Volunteers, like those shown at left, began going door to door.
Residents are asked first if they want a mask. If the answer is in the affirmative, volunteers give them the appropriate sizes for adults and children. Each household resident gets four masks and instructions on how to properly rotate them to extend their use. Recipients have commented on the comfort of the better quality masks.
The response has been overwhelmingly positive. McColgin estimated that 85% of those visited wanted a mask. McColgin added there are a substantial numbers of "Hell Yeah" responses like the one she got the day before.
Early in January, McColgin wrote in a group email. "If you're losing faith in people's sanity about this virus, you need to volunteer. Not only did people want masks, they were incredibly grateful and so pleased to get some GOOD masks. A few said they had a mask "but it's in bad shape".
One volunteer, Travis Hensel, brought his children, Nora and Jack, for the two hour neighborhood walk. The children were described as "troopers" as they braved the cold with their dad and knocked on doors. See photo at right. 
There is a large Hispanic community in Mayfield so volunteers carry both English and Spanish cards to explain the project and proper mask usage. They also carry information on other assistance available like the Homes and Hope project. Homes and Hope helps people with repair and restoration using funds collected by the Mayfield Rotary Foundation.
The group has distributed over 1500 masks and have a few more. The "total number of households taking masks is now at 130, with 396 individuals getting a set of 4 high filtration masks, total of 1584 masks". They have spent more money than donated so any help would be appreciated.
They need your help. To donate, reach out to Leslie McColgin through Facebook or follow the link below.