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North Carolina relief organizations in Kentucky following deadly tornado

North Carolina Baptists on Mission and Samaritan's Purse have teams of volunteers in hard hit Kentucky after a tornado ripped through the state.

MAYFIELD, Ky. — North Carolina relief organizations are on the ground in Kentucky after a tornado ripped through the state. 

"In Bowling Green, the tornado actually jumped and so there (are) just pockets of devastation," Tom Beam said, the North Carolina Baptist Disaster Relief Director. "I rode through a neighborhood where there was absolutely no damage and the street over is where a lot of (...) the damage is."

North Carolina Baptists on Mission has about 60 volunteers in Bowling Green Kentucky helping clean up yards and homes.

"It is neighbor helping neighbor here, it is not just our volunteers that are here working," Beam said. "The one road that I was on today there were hundreds and hundreds of people just helping drag (tree) limbs and helping move logs after they were cut off trees and things like that. It’s just really good to see neighbor helping neighbor, church helping church, Christian helping non-Christian. It’s just everybody working together for the common good tell people and that’s really nice to see." 

RELATED: Two women in the Triad share their stories during the Kentucky tornadoes

Beam said they could be in Bowling Green for two to three weeks. 

"Our volunteers from North Carolina, we will put them up against any volunteer anywhere," Beam said. "They are great, they work hard, they want to be here they want to serve and we are just very happy that we are able to do that."

Samaritan's Purse, headquartered in Cary, NC has more than 100 volunteers in hard-hit Mayfield. Organization leaders also say they've seen people really come together. 

"I rode through earlier yesterday and again this morning, just complete devastation," Todd Taylor said, the manager of U.S. Disaster Relief with Samaritan's Purse. "But there is a sense of community and we see a lot of neighbors helping neighbor."

The American Red Cross is part of the recovery as well and now they have a $10,000 boost thanks to Greensboro-based company Simply Southern.

In the spirit of the holiday season, we have donated $10,000 to the American Red Cross to aid in tornado relief. Our...

Posted by Simply Southern on Monday, December 13, 2021

"My philosophy and Simply Southern’s philosophy is that you give back," said Ginger Aydogdu, CEO of Simply Southern. "That is what we’re here for and (to) definitely help the people that are less fortunate."

Aydogdu said Simply Southern has a retail partner in Mayfield that was completely destroyed. 

"There’s always a chance to give back and help somebody in need and this is a time to do it," said Aydogdu. 

Beam said if you are looking to help, donate to organizations that target specific needs and don't put donated money toward things like administration costs.

This week, Simply Southern will be running a "round up" campaign where customers will be able to round up their purchases to help the American Red Cross. 

RELATED: The American Red Cross and Samaritan's Purse assisting with disaster relief efforts in Kentucky

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