Suppliers and Distributors Donate to Oklahoma Tornado Recovery Efforts

In late May, several tornados stuck areas east of Oklahoma City, including a 1.3 mile-wide F5 tornado in Moore, Okla. that destroyed more than 1,000 homes and killed 24 people. To help the victims of the deadly storms, several members of the promotional products community have donated time and products to the state's recovery efforts.

ROBYN Promotions, a distributor located in Oklahoma City, reported that they had received pallets with supplies and donations from several industry suppliers in the weeks following the destructive storms. In a blog post on its site, the company said its warehouse was filled with emergency items such as hand-crank radios, battery chargers and safety accessories, as well as tote bags, sunscreen, hand sanitizer and other items from suppliers, which they distributed throughout the affected areas.

ROBYN Promotions reported that they received donations from Bullet, Gemline, Hirsch Gifts, Hit Promotional Products, Leed's, Maple Ridge Farms, Prime Line, Simple X Promotional Products, Starline USA and World Wide Line. Distributors Ideation Promos, Paperclip Promotions, Rightsleeve and Zebra Promos also contributed to the efforts.

"Our hearts go out to those victims of this awful natural disaster," said Jeff Lederer, president of Prime Line. "We hope we were able to help in some small way."

Norwood & BIC Graphic North America also donated more than 1,000 products to residents and salvage crews in Moore, including first aid kits, sunscreen, hand sanitizer and water bottles. "Our hearts go out to the families impacted by the tornados in Oklahoma," said Emmanuel Bruno, vice president and general manager of Norwood & BIC Graphic North America. "We admire the efforts of the clean-up and salvage volunteers and hope these items will help them endure the summer heat and sun as well as manage minor injuries as they work."

The city of Moore has asked donors to hold off on sending any more products until it is able to create infrastructure to better process and distribute donations to those who need it most, and will be creating a list of the kinds of donations that will be needed help Oklahoma residents long-term. Anyone interested in helping disaster victims is encouraged to donate to the American Red Cross and The Salvation Army.