Disaster struck Louisiana when flooding covered much of the state and left many without anything. The University community came together to help those in need.
“We had an out pour of support and volunteers who were just ready to get in and get their hands dirty any way they could,” said Zack Faircloth, LSU Student Government president.
Over 150 LSU students met at Christ the King Church Saturday, Aug. 27, to help out with the recovery efforts after the disastrous flooding across the state. Kinesiology junior Naomi Hill was one of the students in charge of bringing this project together.
“We heard about the flooding. We’re like okay, well, we have to do something like we are called to help,” Hill said. “Mostly, what we have been focusing on is just going to individual houses and starting in the morning and not stopping until we finish that house that day.”
The recovery efforts didn’t stop there. There are other resources on campus for flood victims, including the LSU Food Pantry. The food pantry paired up with Kitchens on the Geaux and is located in the Student Union Room 455.
“We have recruited a lot of volunteers to help us work the food pantry and to donate items to the food pantry for anybody who has been affected by the flood,” said Camille Prejean, volunteer director for Kitchens on the Geaux. “We are gonna need help throughout the school year because we know the effects of the flood are going to be long-lasting.”
Volunteer LSU and GEAUX Big Baton Rouge have now created an initiative called Restore 225 that begins Sept. 5. Restore 225 gives students the opportunity spend their weekends providing flood assistance to University faculty and staff members.
“LSU has done a fantastic job of facilitating the services. To offer the Student Relief Fund, which I hear has a ton of money in it, and they’re going to be able to take care of a lot of students,” Faircloth said. “So, we are really excited about the efforts of LSU, and we hope that we can continue to push those efforts and get out in the community and just do the best we can to help.”
To find out more about flood relief information and how you can volunteer, visit www.lsu.edu/floodrelief/.