Area residents have just a few days left to send a Bucket of Hope to Haiti.

The fundraiser, which encourages generous people to put together a five-gallon bucket of staples that will feed a Haitian family for a week, was initiated locally by Andalusia’s Southside Baptist Church. The church has changed moved its deadline to this Thursday, March 4. Organizers plan to drive the buckets to Florida for shipping on Friday.

Church member and organizer Charlotte Hawkins said, to date, the church has collected nearly 50 buckets, but she hopes as the community gets word, they will help.

Hawkins said while the church would not turn down monetary donations, it would be better for people to buy the buckets and put the items inside at this point.

“This is a good chance for a community to come together as a whole to help mankind,” Hawkins said. “These people are such a poor nation.”

Hawkins said this provides a perfect opportunity for families to teach children about humanitarian efforts.

“Kids love it. They enjoy it , and they ask a lot of questions,” Hawkins said. “It doesn’t take long to run to a local grocery store and get these items. It’s a great way to teach about missions.”

Hawkins said for those who would like a sneak peak at what exactly goes each “bucket of hope,” the Corner Market has set up a display to help people get the items.

“Marilyn (Williams) at Corner Market and Sonya Sanders did a wonderful display for us,” she said. “It shows every item needed to fill one of the buckets.”

All the items should be placed in a new 5-gallon bucket with a lid.

“We still have a few buckets at the church if people are having trouble finding a bucket,” Hawkins said. “The hardware stores are a good place to check.”

Anyone interested in getting one of the remaining buckets from Hawkins can call her at 222-2813.

Those interested in helping should purchase two 5-pound bags of long grain enriched rice, one 48-ounce plastic bottle of cooking oil, two 2-pound bags of dried black beans, one 5-pound bag of all-purpose flour, one 20-ounce cylinder container of granulated white sugar, two 1-pound boxes of spaghetti noodles, one 40 ounce plastic jar of smooth peanut butter and one 2-gallon plastic Ziploc storage bag.