How to become involved in Hurricane Florence relief efforts

Kyle Kissinger, Staff Writer|September 20, 2018

UNCW’s Office of Community Engagement has assembled a list of local, regional and national organizations that are assisting in relief efforts following the aftermath of Hurricane Florence.

The following are some volunteer opportunities that have been pulled from UNCW’s Office of Community Engagement’s list. For a more information, check out the office’s Facebook page here. More volunteer opportunities, donation drives and resources will be posted as more organizations move into the area.

 

Local & Regional Efforts:

Support the Port: “A non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance, cultivate and provide a renewed sense of community ownership and excellence for residents of Wilmington, North Carolina. Through the arts, philanthropy and scholarship, Support The Port Foundation, Inc. will increase self-ability, and foster a nonviolent environment where excellence in these three realms are celebrated and expanded.”

If you would like to be on the supPORT The Port “Rebuilding The Port” team, please email [email protected]. There is a need for truck drivers, people to do heavy lifting, moving, and possibly even towing.

Support the Port will need people in other cities to help do drives and collect resources to help assist. If you would like to help but can’t help us physically, please go to our website and donate here.

Some items Support the Port are collecting:

  • Clothes
  • Batteries
  • School supplies
  • Household supplies
  • Hygiene products
  • Fans/ portable fans
  • Water
  • Snacks

 

Nourish NC: “A non-profit organization that provides hungry children with healthy food, empowering them to succeed in the classroom and in their community.”

Nourish NC is in need of food. The most wanted items right now are peanut butter and jelly, bread or saltine crackers, bumble bee tuna/chicken snack kits, hearty stews or soup’s, granola bars and trail mix, pasta and pasta sauce, cereal and any ready to eat meals. Food can be dropped off or mailed to 601 Greenfield St. Operating hours are sporadic so please text at 910-465-0995 before dropping off.

Cash donations can be made here https://nourishnc.org/donate/ or mailed to 601 Greenfield St., Wilmington NC 28401

NourishNC is in need lots of helping hands and will put all requests for volunteers on our Facebook page.

 

The Harrelson Center: “The Harrelson Center is a nonprofit campus that supports and partners with other nonprofit organizations in the Wilmington community to provide centralized services. As the winds, rains, and flood waters subside, we will be collecting items to aid in disaster relief. As soon as our power returns, the Center and Help Hub will be open. Stay tuned for more details.”

The following is our initial list of needs to be distributed:

  • Batteries
  • Blankets
  • Children’s underwear – all sizes
  • Diapers
  • Feminine products and pads
  • Formula
  • Food cards
  • Food, canned
  • Hygiene Items
  • Gas cards
  • Lanterns
  • Pet food
  • Shockwave Cleaning products
  • Towels
  • Water
  • Wipes

 

Cape Fear Volunteer Center: “Our mission is to match volunteers with meaningful service opportunities in the Cape Fear region, through direct and indirect services, supporting Big Buddy/Life Guide, National Days of Service, Kid’s Voting, CareNet and more.”

Volunteer Registration Form

Request Help

 

National Organizations:

World Central Kitchen: “Come and help our Food First Responders to prepare meals for those impacted by Hurricane Florence. We need helping hands to prepare sandwiches, prep and cook meals and many other things. Have kitchens located in both Wilmington (Diamond Catering, 127 S College Drive, Suite 44) and Raleigh.”

To volunteer in our Raleigh kitchen, sign up here: http://bit.ly/WCKRaleighVolunteer

To volunteer in our Wilmington kitchen, sign up here: http://bit.ly/WCKWilmingtonVolunteer

 

Red Cross: The Red Cross is in need of volunteers who can sign up for a 6-12 hour shift and help maintain/set up sheltering facilities, register clients, maintain client information, and serve meals, among other tasks. Licensed nurses and mental health professionals are encouraged to volunteer with Red Cross in the local community.

Those who live in Eastern North Carolina and are interested in volunteering are urged to sign up at redcross.org/enc. Following sign-up, a Red Cross team member will contact applicants directly. Due to the expected high volume of applications, Red Cross asks for patience as the organization reaches out to volunteers.

 

Faith-Based Volunteer Opportunities:

Catholic Charities of the Raleigh Diocese is coordinating volunteer efforts in Wilmington.

Drivers for box trucks to get supplies from a warehouse in Raleigh to impacted areas in eastern North Carolina including Fayetteville and Wilmington. Click Here to receive updates when driving opportunities are available.

For all other volunteer opportunities, Click Here.

Winter Park Baptist Church, First Baptist Church and Vigilant Hope are coordinating a feeding ministry. Info is here: https://winterparkbaptist.org/florence/

Port City Community Church is a distribution site for Convoy of Hope and is working with Samaritan’s Purse to coordinate volunteers. Info is here: http://portcitychurch.org/florence

Lifepoint Church is serving meals via Mercy Chefs to first responders and community and is distributing water and supplies via Convoy of Hope. 3534 S. College Rd, Lunch 11-1pm, Dinner 4-6pm, Helpline 910-660-1320 Info is here: http://lifepointnow.com/blog/hurricane-florence-updates

Grace United Methodist Church is bagging food for Wilmington residents and preparing meals https://www.facebook.com/gumcwilmington/

Samaritan’s Purse has response teams in Wilmington, New Bern, and Jacksonville. Info is here: https://www.spvolunteer.org/

Wilmington-Area Rebuilding Ministry (WARM) is committed to helping with rebuilding efforts following Hurricane Florence. Info is here: https://www.warmnc.org/

 

By and for UNCW Students:

UNCW Campus Emergency Fund: The Campus Emergency Fund provides financial assistance to UNCW students personally affected by natural disasters.

Requests and allocations of funds will be managed by the Office of Dean of Students once the campus is operational.

 

We Wilm Rebuild: An organization led by University of North Carolina Wilmington students, dedicated to providing disaster-relief supplies in the Wilmington community. They have held drives all across the state of North Carolina, and have been partnering directly with existing non-profit organizations to have supplies delivered into Wilmington.