Local schools, businesses team up to help flood relief
Published 3:00 am Thursday, August 25, 2016
Local schools and KW Plastics and KW Container are all pitching in to help provide donation to the victims of massive flooding in Louisiana.
Paula Shute, professor of culinary arts at Charles Henderson High School, decided to coordinate a donation drive for the victims as a way of giving back.
“One of our big things as a department is helping families and the community,” Shute said. “One of the ways we could give back to the community is to help our neighbors by getting supplies for the flood victims.”
Charles Henderson Middle School, Troy Elementary School and Pike Liberal Arts all joined in to help collect donations.
“We went in with the culinary arts department at Charles Henderson and we’ve already sent one truckload off,” said Becky Baggett, headmaster at Pike Lib.
“Our parents outpoured with all sorts of cleaning supplies, sleeping bags, water and all the supplies they would need. After just one weekend we had a hall full of stuff and they had to bring the truck to come pick it up.”
The truck that collected the donations was a Bonnie Plants truck, which was first brought to Troy last week by Troy natives Andrew Foster and Jimmy Lucas, who work with the company in Donaldsville, Louisiana.
Now the Troy Students-Athletes Advisory Committee (SAAC) and the Troy SGA are partnering with the local high schools in a donation drive that will last through the week.
“We’re trying to get a whole initiative surrounding Troy to help those in need,” said Santiago Pinzon, advisor for the SAAC. “Hopefully we can help make things better for them.”
Kw Plastics and KW Container teamed up last week to bring 150 TruSnap containers filled with basic personal care essentials and empty boxes that could be used for distribution to the Bonnie Plants truck that was parked at Lowe’s.
Troy University Athletics will be accepting donations at the field house and sports locker rooms from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays.