Sep 27, 2018 3 min read

Though Russell Snyder was born and raised in Washington, he has lived in Wilmington, N.C., for more than 20 years. So when Hurricane Florence devastated the state, as well as parts of South Carolina and Virginia, Snyder’s sister, Christa Petro, had to act.

“Wilmington is like a second home to us,” said Petro, whose fiance, John Rush Jr., also has relatives in the affected area. “When we started talking to them and seeing the pictures of what was happening, I was like, I can’t just sit here. Wilmington is such a wonderful place. They’re great people who welcome you into their homes and businesses. It’s heartbreaking what they’re going through.”

Since the hurricane reached land on Sept. 14, at least 46 people have died. The Associated Press reported that in North Carolina, there were about 800,000 people without power and about 20,000 people in shelters.

To help those who are affected, Petro organized a donation drive that will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday through Sunday at Alpine Bowling Lanes, 735 Jefferson Ave., Washington.

She and a group of friends are hoping to load a 30-foot trailer donated for use by Rush’s employer, SPSI, a waste management service that specializes in hazardous materials and environmental emergency response. They will be collecting items including nonperishable food, baby items like diapers and formula, gently-used clothing, toiletries, household cleaners, blankets and gift cards.

“People’s houses are gone, they have no money to keep staying in hotel and no place to go. Shelters are filled,” said Petro. “No donation is too small. Fall is here, so we’re telling people if they’re cleaning out their houses, if there are cans of soup or shirts they are going to get rid of, these people will take whatever help they can get right now.”

The donations will be driven down and delivered on Oct. 5. Petro is hoping to be able to directly hand out the items and talk to the people affected.

“We want people to know that Wilmington is a special place,” she said. “Anything we collect is directly 100 percent going to help hurricane victims.”

Petro is accepting donations through PayPal and is running the Facebook page “Donation drive/journey-Wash., PA”.

11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday through Sunday

Alpine Bowling Lanes, 735 Jefferson Ave., Washington

Accepting monetary donations as well as non-perishable food, baby items, clothing, toiletries and cleaners