By Rory Dulock | Staff Writer
BearAid, which is housed under the department of Missions, Service and Public Life, hosted a relief kit packing event for those impacted by the recent Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Students were able to pack kits from 2 to 3 p.m. on Wednesday outside of the Bobo Spiritual Life Center.
Chad Warner, senior coordinator for marketing, communications and events for Missions, Service and Public Life, said via email that BearAid partnered with the United Methodist Committee on Relief to create and send kits to those affected by the hurricanes.
The kits included was laundry detergent, household cleaner, dish soap, air freshener, insect repellent, a scrub brush, reusable cleaning wipes, trash bags, dust masks, kitchen gloves, work gloves and more.
Warner said that BearAid and Missions, Service and Public Life have been responding to the recent hurricanes using their Pray, Stay, Raise, Go approach. Raising funds and sending the kit supplies is the beginning of their response to help those affected by the hurricanes.
Sarah Walker, senior coordinator for Missions, Service and Public Life, is involved with BearAid. She said when disasters hit across the nation, the team tries to respond in appropriate ways.
“[Helping] might look like packing flood bucket disaster kits,” Walker said. “A lot of times, the immediate response is people want to just go but since we’re not first responders, we want to leave space for actual first responders to be on the ground.”
However, Walker said they know they still have a role in helping those affected and that is when they follow their Pray, Stay, Raise, Go approach.
“Our first thing that we want to do is pray for people affected who want to stay and let first responders get there first. Then, [we] raise funds, raise support, raise awareness of what’s happening, and [we] then go,” Walker said. “We’re looking at doing a trip to help with disaster relief efforts in the spring when students are not in class. The flood buckets are a really easy way to be engaged and active right here on campus, but make an impact with our neighbors across the state.”
New Orleans sophomore Frances Hatley works with the Missions, Service and Public Life. Hatley said she came to the event to help out and be an extra hand to serve those in need.
“It’s important to give back and we need to be able to help those who, whenever a natural disaster happens, don’t see it coming and they might not be prepared,” Hatley said. “If we are in a position to be prepared and help them to get better and recover from that, then we should do all we can to help.”