WINNSBORO – When members of the Richard Winn Academy PTO and Booster Club heard about the hurricane-related devastation in the mountains of North Carolina, they sprang into action.
Helping to organize the efforts are PTO President Grace Cameron and members Jerrica Beam and Anne Bass. Beam and Bass are also Richard Winn alumni.
“Hurricane Helene was a real catastrophe for so many in western North Carolina,” Beam says, “and once we realized how horrific the destruction is, we decided we had to do something.”
Members of the PTO and the school’s booster club met to organize a donation drive, sending out the request for help through e-mail and social media.
“We knew the magnitude of what the Richard Winn Academy family is capable of doing when it comes to helping one’s neighbor,” Beam says. “With a North Carolina contact who was closely involved with the effort to bring relief to several communities in North Carolina, we found a perfect fit for the initiative.”
Within two days, the school and hallways were flooded with donated goods that had been requested by those on the ground in the disaster zone: baby diapers, wipes, and formula; dry dog food; and basic hygiene products.
In an interview Friday, Beam said the individual in North Carolina provided a list of needs, and people with trucks and trailers to transport the donations to devastated areas. The first shipment left on Saturday to be delivered to churches and individuals in hard hit areas.
A second wave of donation deliveries was scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 8.
“Phone calls are still coming in from both the school community and the broader community from those wanting to help,” Beam says.
She says donations are still being accepted – and many are praying continuously for healing in the North Carolina mountains and surrounding states feeling the heartbreaking loss and impact of the storm.
“I hope it gives them hope for tomorrow, for the next day, peace that things will be OK, knowing that they have a community – our community and many others – supporting and praying for them,” Beam said of the delivery of supplies from caring people in South Carolina.
“I hope that they can all be reached by somebody who loves and cares for them and is just there for them,” she said. “And we hope these donations will help.”
For more information about donating, call Jerrica Beam at 803-374-2192 or drop supplies at Richard Winn Academy (1796 Old Chester Road) during school hours.
Barbara Ball contributed to this story.