PICCA joins other community action agencies to help victims of Hurricane Helene in NC - Household items, winter clothing and office supplies sought
Impact of Hurricane Helene – The flooded offices of Blue Ridge Community Action after the storm.
CIRCLEVILLE, OHIO (October 16, 2024) – Pickaway County Community Action Organization (PICCA) is joining sister agencies in Ohio to provide necessary supplies to victims of Hurricane Helene in North Carolina.
PICCA will begin collecting donated supplies at its offices at 469 E. Ohio Street on Monday, Oct. 21. PICCA is open 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday thru Thursday, and is looking to wrap up the effort by Thursday, Oct. 24.
“Our thougths and prayers are with all victims of Hurricane Helene,” said PICCA Executive Director Becky Hammond. “We feel the need to do what we can to reduce the suffering of the people of that region, and help them regain a sense of normal.”
PICCA is working with the Ohio Association of Community Action Agencies (OACAA) to provide household items, winter clothing and office supplies to victims, many of whom lost everything because a flooding and landslides spawned by the hurricane.
OACAA is coordinating a delivery on October 28 of supplies with the North Carolina Community Action Association. A delivery will go to the Blue Ridge Community Action in Morganton, NC, which needs help getting items to residents after its building was flooded because of the storm.
The Blue Ridge Community Action lost all contents of its building, which was condemned because of flooding (see photo). The organization is operating out of temporary locations for its administrative and program operations, childcare and adult day care programs.
Four staff members of Blue Ridge Community Action lost their homes in the flood.
Items needed include:
· Winter clothes, coats, hats and gloves for children and adults;
· Any household items from furniture to cleaning supplies;
· Other clothes and backpacks for children;
· Blankets are a major need;
· Sheets, pillow cases and other bedding;
· Office supplies
“Community action agencies from across the nation are coming together to help our colleagues at Blue Ridge Community Action, Hammond said. “We’re banding together to help them so that they can help local residents who are depending on the agency during this crisis.”
Bring donations to PICCA’s offices, or contact Hammond at (740) 477-1655, if you have questions. There also is a GoFundMe account has been established to collect donations to help in the recovery: https://gofund.me/c79dbf99
Local donations will be transported to Highland County Community Action Organization in Hillsboro on Friday, Oct. 25, and loaded onto larger trucks for transport to North Carolina beginning on Oct. 28, Hammond said.