NEWPORT-The deadline to contribute items for flood victims in the Midwest has been extended until Sunday night, July 6, according to Tonya Ellison, co-chair of the local collection effort.

Ellison, along with Amy Reed, has been working with Wal-Mart associates and community members to fill a truck with clothing, shoes, blankets, non-perishable food items, and bottled water to send to families displaced by the raging Mississippi and other rivers in the Midwest. Thousands of people remain homeless and more rains are expected.

Items should be taken to the Newport Wal-Mart where they are being loaded into a truck.

"We're asking individuals, churches, community groups, and others to help with this project," said Ellison.

For more information about the effort, call (423) 608-2684.