INDIANAPOLIS, Nov. 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Southport Presbyterian Church has established a disaster relief fund to provide assistance to members of the Richmond Hill Community affected by an explosion November 10^th.  The explosion killed two residents and damaged nearly 80 homes.  The account has been set up at BMO Harris Bank and donations can be made at any of the bank's locations.

"This terrible accident was less than half a mile away from us so we've seen firsthand the difficulties the involved families are dealing with," said Rob Hock, Senior Pastor of Southport Presbyterian Church.  "We are blessed to provide assistance to our neighbors in times of great need and pleased that we are in a position to help with the physical and emotion needs resulting from the situation."

Residents of the affected area should contact the church and a care manager from the church will be assigned to each family to provide assistance with immediate physical items, counseling and other needs.  Southport Presbyterian has been collecting donations of supplies since the day after the incident, but states that the primary need to assist the families now is cash. 

"Everyone at BMO Harris Bank was deeply saddened by this tragic event," said Tim Massey, Regional President BMO Harris Bank. "One of the best things about living in Indiana is how we work together to help those in our communities when they need it, and the Southport Presbyterian Church has a long history of being an important asset to the area through their service to the community."

All BMO Harris locations are currently accepting cash or check donations from customers or the general public. Checks can be made payable to the Southport Presbyterian Disaster Relief Fund.  The account number for the fund is 4872549671.  Donations also may be made in person at Southport Presbyterian Church or online at www.southportpc.org/relief.  The address for the church is

Southport Presbyterian Church
7525 McFarland Blvd.
Indianapolis, Indiana 46237
317-534-2900

About BMO Harris Bank
Based in Chicago, BMO Harris Bank N.A. provides a broad range of personal banking products and solutions through over 600 branches and approximately 1,300 ATMs in Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, Minnesota, Nevada, Arizona and Florida. BMO Harris Bank's commercial banking team provides a combination of sector expertise, local knowledge and mid-market focus throughout the U.S. Deposit and loan products and services provided by BMO Harris Bank N.A. Member FDIC. BMO Harris Bank ^SM is a trade name used by BMO Harris Bank N.A. BMO Harris Bank is part of BMO Financial Group, a North American financial organization with 1,600 branches, and a retail deposit base of approximately $180 billion.

SOURCE BMO Harris Bank