As images and stories of devastation in the Gulf Coast pour in, many may feel the need to be involved with the recovery effort, and the Lawrence County Community Action organization is giving concerned residents an opportunity to do just that.

The CAO will be accepting donations for victims at Central School in Ironton on Tuesday morning through the early afternoon.

The donations will then be transported to Highland County, which is serving as the logistical waypoint for area donations. The final destination of the goods it St. Mary's Community Action Organization in the New Orleans area, which will distribute them to those in need. The CAO will mainly be asking for toiletries, a complete list of accepted donations can be seen below. They'll also need a good supply of boxes to hold all the collections.

Specific times were not available, as the operation is being mounted on the fly, but D.R. Gossett, Executive Director of the Lawrence County CAO, said that his group couldn't just stay on the sidelines.

"We just had an opportunity through a sister organization to make a direct impact to that group of people, obviously we can't meet all the needs, but we do have an ability to do something, and doing something is better than nothing."

CAO donations

The CAO will be accepting the following items:

Generators

Dry laundry detergent

Feminine hygiene products

Bleach

School supplies

Bath soap

Toothpaste

Socks

Tooth brushes

Underwear

Towels

T-shirts

Shampoo

Bedding

Diapers

Air mattresses

Baby powder

Deodorant

Baby wipes

Lotion

Antiseptic hand wipes/cleaner

Dry milk

Baby bottles

Formula

Shoes

Empty boxes and packing tape

Toilet paper

Car seats

Aspirin

Any common sense items

More information on the effort is available by calling (740) 532-3534.