At the end of August, Hurricane Ida swept through the United States and disproportionately affected the state of Louisiana. Following Hurricane Katrina, this category four tropical storm was the second-worst hurricane to hit the state.

Hannah Banfiel ’24 and Estela Chavez ’24

After her family in Louisiana was personally affected by Ida, Tai Suarez ’23 wanted to bring together Oglethorpe students to raise donations for other victims of the storm.

Working with Kathy Shemwell of the American Red Cross, Student Government members Ashrakat Hassan ’24, Jakeb Sanders ’23, Estela Chavez ’24 and Hannah Banfiel ’24 stepped up to work with Suarez to bring awareness and raise food and item donations.

After two weeks of spreading the word and collecting items, the Oglethorpe community was able to give bags of baby shoes, boxes of diapers, menstrual hygiene products, cans of food, packages of pasta, cases of water bottles, and more!

The items will soon be taken to New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Stonecrest, Georgia. There, the OU students leading this initiative will have a chance to personally distribute the donations and meet with Hurricane Ida victims who are displaced and currently living in DeKalb County.

Check out Student Wellness for more information on how to volunteer, contact, or participate in this campus initiative.