With many areas recently ravaged by hurricanes, the Hurricane Relief Project at Mason are organizing a fundraiser on Saturday, October 21 from 8am – 4pm to raise money for those in need of basic necessities after losing almost everything.
This fundraiser comes at an important time following the many hurricanes that recently came through Texas, Florida, the Leeward Islands, and Puerto Rico. Thousands of people are still without shelter, food, and clean water.
According to Katie Rice, a student leader for this project, they have one goal.
“[We want] to get the most money raised so we can really make a difference for those in need,” she said.
The team behind this project is specifically working with one charity, Save the Children, due to its focus on hurricane relief. About 80% of their funds go to rebuilding and restoring areas wrecked by the storms. This Saturday, they will be focusing on raising money for those affected by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.
The schedule for this Saturday consists of many events, including a clothing drive and yard sale in the morning and a “fashion show for paws” in the afternoon, where volunteers will host a fashion show in the auditorium to help raise money for Louie’s Legacy Animal Shelter.
“We have a brand who’s willing to sponsor it, LuLaRoe, which is a local brand, who will be providing the clothing and then they can sell it. We’ll have local jewelry vendors, which I think will be really cool,” Rice said.
Additionally, food trucks will be present at George Mason on Saturday and will donate 10% of their sales to the cause.
Based on previous projects, the members of the Hurricane Relief Project are hoping for a great turnout.
“Last time we did a big project like this, we raised about $20,000, so we want to maybe hit that marker or go over if we can,” said junior Mithi Penaranda, another student leader.
In addition to doing the community-wide fundraiser on Saturday, there will also be a clothing drive held this entire week, October 16 – 20. Drop off your old clothes, toys, kitchenware, bikes, and more at door #15 near the Mustang Cafe from Monday-Friday, 7:30 – 8am and 3:30 – 4:30pm, and on Saturday the clothing drive will be available from 9am – 11am.
