When Amanda Hambleton of Paola saw images of the devastation Hurricane Helene caused in Florida, Tennessee and North Carolina, she knew she had to find a way to help. She connected with a fire department in North Carolina that was gathering supplies to be airlifted to small mountain communities devastated by flooding and storm damage. She started reaching out to friends and neighbors and collecting supplies right on her front porch. She reached out to her friend, Marcy Seaman, who owns Design 4 Sports in Paola, who took it to the next level. Seaman used social media to spread the word about the hurricane relief effort, and she opened the Design 4 Sports showroom to store boxes of donated clothing, diapers, blankets, coats, medicine, food, water and other supplies.
The items were all boxed and shipped to North Carolina, but shipping was not cheap. They were able to get a 26-foot U-haul truck from a rental facility in Ottawa at a reduced rate. Seaman used social media to promote the “fill the truck” campaign, and community members were encouraged to drop off items at Design 4 Sports. They started the lengthy drive to North Carolina Tuesday, October 15th and reported recently that they made it and together they made life changing impacts for their fellow small-town Americans.
