Southern Baptist disaster-relief leaders are denying reports, spread widely across the Internet, that a group of their volunteers in Florida refused to give water to victims of Hurricane Wilma because it came from a beer-brewing company.
A Fort Myers, Fla., television news crew first reported the alleged incident Oct. 28. NBC-2 reported that workers cooking meals at First Baptist Church of Clewiston, Fla., under the aegis of Southern Baptist Convention disaster-relief services, declined to hand out canned water provided by Anheuser-Busch.
The story was quickly picked up by several Internet weblogs, prompting criticism of Southern Baptists. But the Alabama Baptist newspaper reported Nov. 3 that the television station's story wasn't entirely accurate.
Keith Hinson, spokesman for the Alabama Baptist State Convention, said: “It is an absolute falsehood to suggest-as many irresponsible bloggers have-that the Baptist volunteers withheld the basic needs of life from Floridians impacted by the hurricane. Contrary to misinterpretations of news reports, no one was denied access to water.”
The paper reported that SBC feeding units-such as the one set up in Clewiston by Alabama Baptists-typically cook meals that are either distributed on site or taken out into the community by the Red Cross. Such sites typically do not serve as distribution locations for water, ice or any commodities other than hot meals.
Vernon Lee, an Alabama Baptist volunteer at the site, told the paper the Anheuser-Busch truck arrived and was authorized by Red Cross officials to unload its cans of water, even though the site was not designated for water distribution.
Tim Bridges, pastor of the Clewiston church, said the Anheuser-Busch logo-an eagle inside of a capital “A”-was offensive to him and some church members. “I didn't want to send out a mixed message,” he said, according to the Alabama Baptist.
“All that was said was that First Baptist Church people would not be the ones handing it out,” he explained. “We didn't refuse the water. Others were giving it out. We were handing out [SBC-supplied] water hand over fist.”
Red Cross volunteers, who were working the site with Baptist volunteers, apparently distributed the Busch water. And, the pastor added, Baptist volunteers would have done the same if they had run out of other water.
Bridges noted several other distribution stations nearby-including one across the street from the church-were handing out water as well. “I would have no problem giving the people the [Anheuser-Busch water] if they were thirsty, but they were not thirsty,” he said.
Associated Baptist Press