United Way of West Central Mississippi donates thousands of hand sanitizer bottles to local organizations

Published 12:03 pm Wednesday, November 24, 2021

Clean hands mean less COVID-19.

Therefore, in an effort to keep the Vicksburg community as well as other areas in the state germ-free, the United Way of West Central Mississippi has distributed thousands of bottles of hand sanitizer.

“We have had three truckloads of hand sanitizer delivered,” UWWCM director of marketing and resource development Elizabeth Seratt said, which equated to 70 pallets.

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Two truckloads of sanitizer were donated by the Atlanta division of KIK Consumer Products, and another truckload was donated by MEMA.

While the hand sanitizer was delivered following the worst of the pandemic, Serrat said, it was available just as the Delta variant was surging.

“And people have been so thankful,” she said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hand sanitizer containing at least 60 percent of alcohol can help the spread of germs when soap and water are not available.

Serrat said the United Way distributed hand sanitizer to all the school districts in their service area, including Warren, Claiborne, Sharkey, Yazoo and Issaquena counties.

“They then distributed it to all the individual schools in their district,” she said.

Hand sanitizer also went to nursing homes, early education centers, restaurants, first responders, United Way partner agencies, local non-profit organizations, salons and nail salons.

Serrat said any business that deals with the public that wanted hand sanitizer received hand sanitizer.

“Truckloads were also distributed to other United Way Agencies in Mississippi, and we sent some hand sanitizer down to areas that were affected by Hurricane Ida,” she said.

As a new employee, Serrat said, she was impressed with the response and distribution of the hand sanitizer by the United Way of West Central Mississippi.

“It was very fast-paced. It was very community-focused and very interpersonal. We were taking phone calls and meeting and connecting with people,” she said, adding that had it not been for the hand sanitizer distribution, she may never have had the opportunity to meet some of the people involved.

“Certainly not within my first week of work,” Serrat said.

About Terri Cowart Frazier

Terri Frazier was born in Cleveland. Shortly afterward, the family moved to Vicksburg. She is a part-time reporter at The Vicksburg Post and is the editor of the Vicksburg Living Magazine, which has been awarded First Place by the Mississippi Press Association. She has also been the recipient of a First Place award in the MPA’s Better Newspaper Contest’s editorial division for the “Best Feature Story.”

Terri graduated from Warren Central High School and Mississippi State University where she received a bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis in public relations.

Prior to coming to work at The Post a little more than 10 years ago, she did some freelancing at the Jackson Free Press. But for most of her life, she enjoyed being a full-time stay at home mom.

Terri is a member of the Crawford Street United Methodist Church. She is a lifetime member of the Vicksburg Junior Auxiliary and is a past member of the Sampler Antique Club and Town and Country Garden Club. She is married to Dr. Walter Frazier.

“From staying informed with local governmental issues to hearing the stories of its people, a hometown newspaper is vital to a community. I have felt privileged to be part of a dedicated team at The Post throughout my tenure and hope that with theirs and with local support, I will be able to continue to grow and hone in on my skills as I help share the stories in Vicksburg. When asked what I like most about my job, my answer is always ‘the people.’

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