Pittsburgh-area nonprofits and businesses rally to help Hurricane Helene victims
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Response to Hurricane Helene continues while people pick up the pieces following the devastation.
The search for the missing continues as the death toll soars past 200. Meanwhile, nonprofits and businesses in the Pittsburgh area are coming together to help out in any way they can.
Brother's Brother Foundation is doing what it can to help
"When you see what's going on, and how people are suffering, our first response is honestly to see what is to do, and see how we can help," said Ozzy Samad, president of Brother's Brother Foundation.
They filled two trucks at their warehouse with supplies. More than 76,000 bottles of water, BOOST nutritional shakes and hygiene kits are being shipped to residents affected by the hurricane.
"I've been texting back and forth with somebody in the Asheville area, and she's right outside Black Mountain. She tells me the devastation is absolutely unbelievable," Samad explained.
One truck from Pittsburgh will travel to Ashville, North Carolina. The other is headed for Macon, Georgia. Samad said this aid shipment is only the beginning.
"Our response will continue, and we hope we are able to help the people affected in some way," Samad said.
To help, you can go to the Brother's Brother Foundation website. Select "USA - US Disaster Relief" in the Gift Designation dropdown menu.
Pittsburgh-area businesses collect donations
In Kennedy Township, a couple of business owners got together to help after they saw the devastation in North Carolina, and now they're getting the word out to let you know how you can help, too.
"People are so generous, and the stuff that people think of, stuff I would never think of," said Cookie Cookie Ice Cream co-owner Connie Feda.
Feda says when her friend Kevin Pike told her last week about his plan to help, she didn't hesitate.
"He just sent me a Facebook message and said, 'Can we dump stuff here?' 'Sure, of course. Of course you can.' So we put that on Facebook the very next morning, and within three days, this entire space was just filled," Feda said.
At K&B DoorMasters, their showroom is full of supplies, and they're packing up donations to ship to North Carolina this weekend.
"Right now they're asking specifically for things like manual can openers, proteins that have pull tops like tuna fish, chicken, spam. They're looking for cleaning supplies, towels -- not necessarily paper towels but rag towels. If you've ever been in a flood, the cleanup is enormous, you can't even wrap your head around it. They're looking for pet supplies, baby formula, feminine hygiene products, toilet paper. Just imagine you're standing in your front porch, you can no longer go to the grocery store, you may or may not have power, you may or may not have a cellphone. What do you need?"
Feda says they are collecting items for as long as they can. The first wave of supplies will be delivered to North Carolina this weekend, and there's another trip planned to deliver more supplies next week.
"I just heard today that they have a 24-foot truck coming from K&B Doors, and they're going to fill this 24-foot truck. And they have four trucks. They believe they're going to be able to fill all of them."
You can find a list of supplies needed and where to donate below: