A Tale of Two Towns

How can I help?” This was a question many citizens of Franklin, North Carolina asked in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. After a trip to the gulf coast by local doctor Gus Wilde, a committee was formed and Bayou La Batre, Alabama officially became Franklin’s Sister City. Many may recall this small town from the Forrest Gump novel and movie. This small gulf port town of approximately 3,500 people lost almost everything in the storm. Bayou La Batre is known as the Seafood Capital of Alabama, and the fishing industry has suffered terribly from Katrina's destructive forces.

The Franklin community rallied together as donations came in from individuals, churches, organizations, and businesses. Boxes with instructions for packing a week’s worth of food for a family of four were filled by individuals who wished to help. To date, seven truckloads of food, bleach, and miscellaneous cleaning items have been delivered to the town by volunteer drivers. One Franklin native, Dewey Gunnin, had lived and raised his family in Bayou La Batre. Now a Franklin resident, he has volunteered to deliver several truckloads to the town. Families have been sent boxes containing clothing, shoes, warm jackets, and gift cards. These boxes were sent after specific requests from parents for their children’s needs, with no mention of needs for themselves. Families that were identified by school personnel in Bayou La Batre were sent $50 gift cards. Students at Franklin’s Macon Middle School filled 33 large boxes with food items. Each time a need was mentioned, a volunteer stepped forward.

Members of the Sister City committee, along with town officials, plan to visit Bayou La Batre on December 10, caravanning into town with Santa Claus, a barbeque meal, an NC Christmas tree, decorations made by students in Macon County’s elementary schools, entertainment, and gifts for approximately 500 children. This will be a way to take a taste of the mountains to Bayou La Batre and to help brighten their Christmas season as they struggle to put their lives back together.

Food is still a serious need for people affected by the storm, and the committee continues to gather boxes. Cash and nonmonetary contributions are collected daily for Franklin’s Sister City project from this caring community. The care and concern shown to Bayou La Batre is just one of the many reasons Drake Software is proud to call Franklin home.

From December 2005

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