Campus Response to Hurricane Sandy

Across campus and in the surrounding communities, efforts are being made to provide much needed relief to the victims of Hurricane Sandy.

Give to the Red Cross Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund

Help the Red Cross help those in need.

Make a donation [1]

UMass Transit Services – “Fill-a Bus”

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

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 [2] or UMass Transit’s Facebook or Twitter pages (@umasstransit).

Contact: Katherine O’Hara, 413/545-0637, mktspv@admin.umass.edu [3]

Collecting Much Needed Supplies

Starting Tuesday, November 13, UMass Amherst will be collecting supplies to benefit victims of Hurricane Sandy. Collected items will be delivered to areas that were devastated by the storm, helping our friends and neighbors to rebuild. Donations will reach all New York boroughs through a network of volunteers at St. Jacobi Church at Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Join our campus-wide initiative by donating any of the following items:

Clean-Up & Repair: power strips, heavy duty power cords, duct tape, tarps, rope, HD contractor trash bags, flashlights & batteries, HD markers for labeling, work gloves, work goggles, tools, sponges
Warmth: blankets (no clothes, please—they have collected enough)
Toiletries: toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, deodorant, razors, shaving cream, hand sanitizer, diapers, baby wipes

Bring any of the listed items to one of the following collection areas. Collection bins will be available Tuesday, November 13 at 10:00 a.m. through Friday, November 16 at 12:00 p.m. at these locations:

Worcester DC
Franklin DC
Hampshire DC
Berkshire DC
Campus Center Concourse
Robsham Memorial Center for Visitors

Collection bins will also be available at the UMass vs. Harvard Men’s Basketball game at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, November 13 at the Mullins Center.

Contact: sandyrelief@admin.umass.edu [4]

Aerial views of the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy to the New Jersey coast taken during a search and rescue mission. Photo courtesy of The New Jersey National Guard

University Relations

Thursday, November 8, 2012