Transit Services aims to 'Fill-a-Bus' with toiletries for storm victims

UMass Transit Services has organized a “Fill-a-Bus” campaign to collect toiletries and personal are items for those affected by the recent storm that battered the Eastern Seaboard. Hundreds of people have been forced out of their homes and are currently seeking refuge in shelters and supplies are running dangerously low.

Some shelters are currently housing 175-200 volunteers and another 200-300 refugees. Volunteers go out into the community by day to assist with clean-up and come back to the shelters at night.

“These are our friends and family in need of help,” says Katie O’Hara of UMass Transit Community Relations. “We’re hoping the community can come together and help ease some of the stress they’re experiencing."

Community members in the Amherst and Hadley area are being asked to donate toiletries and personal care items, such as soap, toothpaste, toilet paper, cotton swabs, diapers, baby wipes, toothbrushes, razors, combs and hairbrushes, dental floss, hand sanitizer, tissues and deodorant.

Donations are being collected from Thursday, Nov. 8 until Veterans Day on Monday, Nov. 12. Volunteer drivers will be located at various donation sites around the Amherst/Hadley area. To find out exact locations, visit www.umass.edu/bus or UMass Transit’s Facebook or Twitter pages (@umasstransit). UMTS will drive the final collection to New York with a truck donated by the Enterprise Rent-A-Car office located on campus.

For more information, contact Katie O’Hara, 545-0637.