LOUISVILLE, Ky. — People across the southeast are trying to get their lives back together after devastating hurricanes. In Kentucky, several organizations are doing what they can to help by accepting and delivering donations to survivors.
Helping people is part of what they do at the Roll Call Foundation. Almost four years ago, a trio of disable veterans created the foundation.
“We’re here to help others. We help veterans, we help a lot of first responders. We help a lot of kids with disabilities. Now, we’re helping hurricane relief victims,” said Roll Call co-founder Don Barbiea.
The group started collecting goods almost two weeks ago. Recently they sent over 15 tons of supplies, food and essentials to Boone, North Carolina.
Friday, the foundation sent several more tons of supplies, food and essentials to eastern Tennessee. The Roll Call Foundation said the blessings have been overflowing.
“Our request right now is for no more of the essential items. The locations are filled. They don’t have the ability to process them anymore. We are having a request from North Carolina area for blankets and sleeping bags. The weather’s changing in the mountains faster than it is here,” Barbiea said.
They are not the only organization helping survivors.
Louisville Aviation is hosting a non-perishable food drive for western North Carolinians. The drive started almost a week ago. They need things like water purification tablets, diapers, wipes, women’s products, and more.
“We’ve probably got about 300 pounds of stuff here ready to roll. We don’t have an end date in sight yet. But we’re looking to take multiple planes and make multiple drop offs because I know the need is going to be ongoing,” said Rene Porlier, the general manager of Louisville Aviation.
The donated items are being loaded onto a small plane. Porter said, “I’m really hoping it can help people who are in need.”
To help as many hurricane survivors as possible by air or by ground.
The Roll Call Foundation said next weekend, at their pow wow at the office in Hillview, Kentucky, they will collect blankets. They say a North Carolina vendor is taking it all back in a trailer. Louisville Aviation said it’s taking items into the Asheville, North Carolina airport for distribution from there.