Schools, businesses, churches collect items for Helene victims

Area schools, businesses and churches are working together to help people in the western part of state hit hard by Hurricane Helene last week.

Elite Overhead Garage Doors and ClearVue Window Cleaning are leading one such supply and food drive effort.

Jet Hatu, owner of Elite Overhead Garage Doors, said that she will be accepting donations at her business, located at 415 S. Wesleyan Blvd. in Rocky Mount, throughout the week.

“Please help us help our friends in the western part of the state,” she said.

Rocky Mount Academy is pitching in by accepting donations from the student body and parents that can be dropped off before or after school at the carpool line.

Items requested include bottled water, sports drinks, baby wipes, diapers for adults and children, baby formula, bug spray, sunscreen, plastic utensils, paper plates, napkins and paper towels.

Manual can openers, non-perishable foods, trash bags, cleaning supplies, dental hygiene items, toiletries, pet food, hand sanitizer and wipes, feminine hygiene items, work gloves, new socks and gift cards are also being accepted.

Gift cards should be placed in envelopes with the amount written on the front of the envelope.

Other schools and businesses are teaming up with the United Methodist Church to get donated items into the hands of people in need.

At Rocky Mount High School, its Fellowship of Student Athletes organization is teaming up with First United Methodist Church in downtown Rocky Mount to collect items for flood victims to clean their homes.

Items requested for the “flood buckets” drive include clean five-gallon buckets with lids, a scrub brush, a 32- to 64-ounce bottle liquid of laundry detergent, a 16- to 40-ounce bottle of liquid concentrate household cleaner, a 16- to 34-ounce bottle of dish soap, a 4-to 8-ounce of pump spray air freshener and either a 6-to 14-ounce of pump spray of insect repellent or a pack of 10-20 insect repellant towelettes.

Other requested items for the flood buckets include 18 reusable cleaning wipes, five scouring pads (without soap), 36 to 50 clothespins, 50-100 feet of clothesline, five N95 particulate respirator masks, a roll of heavy-duty trash bags, two pairs of kitchen gloves and a pair of work gloves.

Those wishing to stock flood buckets for this drive can drop them off at the front office of the high school, said Alyson Girouard, a member of the faculty there and a member of First United Methodist. Completed buckets and items also can be dropped off at the church Monday-Thursday or on Sunday.

Rocky Mount High School is located at 1400 Bethlehem Road in Rocky Mount. First United Methodist is located at 100 S. Church St. in Rocky Mount.