Volunteers from Southwest Baptist Church, Grace Church and West Street Baptist Church traveled to Naples, Florida, Monday afternoon to help a mobile home park that was destroyed during Hurricane Irma.

The mobile home park is especially important to Bainbridge resident Benny Hayes, who housed a couple that lived there during the storm. It is an adult mobile home park, where people live on a fixed income.

While in Naples, Roger Whitworth, Charlie Unfricht, Mike Phillips, David Quinn and Stanley Phillips fed 100 people who live in the mobile home park and plan to feed them again throughout their stay. Between meals the men have been cutting trees, moving the debris to the road and removing demolished carports.

“They keep asking us why we are doing this,” Pastor Stanley Phillips said. “We tell them because Jesus tells us to help the hurting; especially the widows and elderly.”

Although this is the first trip, the churches plan to return with more needed items. Southwest Baptist Church will be collecting items Monday, October 5-Friday, October 8th.  Someone will be in the parking lot between the hours of 9 a.m.- 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.- 7 p.m. They said the greatest need for the mobile home park is all types of canned foods such as, black beans and rice. They also are in need of toiletries, baby items, bleach, etc. They do have plenty of water, though, so they ask for no more water donations.

All the items collected will be given to a food mission in Immokalee and the Senior Adult Park in Naples. If anyone would like to help in the return trip and any future trips they can contact Stanley Phillips at stanleyphillips@bellsouth.net or Amy Eakin at amy.eakin0715@gmail.com

The churches are thankful they have the opportunity to be “Neighbors to Naples” and hope Bainbridge will help in their quest to help others.