By Harrison Taylor, Staff Writer
Three weeks ago, the South Eastern United States was hit by Category two Hurricane Florence, and no city on the coast was devastated more than Wilmington, North Carolina.
Hundreds of students from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington (UNCW) were displaced, as the school told students who lived in their student housing to go home. Other University of North Carolina schools, like the University of North Carolina at Asheville, opened their doors to students who could not go home during the storm.
But, before the storm even hit, a group of UNCW students were determined to help their surrounding community.
We Wilm Rebuild, a Go Fund Me project and non-profit student organization, aims to help those displaced by the storm (particularly the poor and underprivileged in the area) with drives at several different UNC schools and beyond. The project was started by UNCW students Jaz Vanscoy, Wes Porter, Valentina Pantani, and Gabe Castro.
“I was following the hurricane a few days before it hit, and I started posting stuff on social media, asking others and saying, ‘Hey, let’s start gathering supplies now’” said Vanscoy, who’s been working on this project since its inception.
Porter then reached out to Vanscoy, and together, along with Valentina and Gabe, created We Wilm Rebuild.
The group aims to help the lower income communities of Wilmington, and their Go Fund Me page has already raised over $10,000, with their Facebook and Instagram pages serving as hubs for those who wish to donate supplies or help with the cause.
“There are some people who chose not to evacuate…and then there are those who couldn’t evacuate. We want to help those who couldn’t,” said Vanscoy, whose intentions to help the lower income community of Wilmington remain present and clear.
We Wilm Rebuild can be found on Instagram under the username wewilmrebuild & their Go Fund Me here.
Edited By: Rachael Robinson
Wingate Triangle 