In late April and early May of this year, Arkansas, Illinois and Missouri received record amounts of rain, causing a levee on the Black River near Pocahontas, Arkansas to be breached in at least nine areas. Residents of Pocahontas were ordered to evacuate. The Black River rose to a record 28.95 feet and more than 50 homes were destroyed or had major damage. Between April 29th and May 9th, there were 10 confirmed deaths due to the flooding in Arkansas alone.
After this tragedy, Arkansas groups mobilized. Along with the National Guard, multiple volunteer groups rushed to help victims of the flooding. One of these groups came from the University of Central Arkansas. Bear Boots on the Ground, associated with the UCA Baptist Collegiate Ministry, was formed to help cleanup when tornadoes in 2014 ripped through Mayflower and Vilonia, Arkansas. Since then, the group has been helping whenever the need arises. In the case of the Pocahontas flooding, they volunteered on May 18th and May 25th, working on six houses. They removed damaged interiors (drywall, insulation, cabinets, and flooring) and cleaned up debris.
EatMyCatfish.com wanted to help with this and future disasters in the Arkansas community. We decided to donate $5 for every fried pie sold during the month of May to Bear Boots on the Ground. We knew that this would not be the last tragedy that befell the area, and that Bear Boots on the Ground would use the funds to continue to help even after the flooding. Between our Little Rock, Benton, and Conway stores, we sold 263 fried pies in the month of May. On June 20th, we presented a $1315.00 check to the UCA Baptist Collegiate Ministry for use in the following year for the Bear Boots on the Ground disaster relief group.
