There is a long road ahead for residents in the southern United States following the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene in September. Those who continue to rebuild and clean up have received an outpouring of support from across the country, including a truckload of supplies from West Jefferson Hills School District families and staff.
A week-long collection drive at Pleasant Hills Middle School quickly spread to every school in the district. Soon, boxes of much needed supplies were being dropped off at all five WJH schools. Families, staff, and community members contributed paper towels, blankets, sheets, personal care items, and cleaning supplies. The schools partnered with CT Industrial Services and Contractor Support, which worked with business, organizations, and community groups throughout the region. After the collection drive from October 17 through 24, Pleasant Hills Middle School students worked to box all of the donations that CT Transport would pick up and drop off in Asheville, North Carolina.
At Thomas Jefferson High School, administrators, faculty, and staff organized a monetary donation drive that raised thousands of dollars. The high school then used those donations and worked with Walmart in West Mifflin and Costco in the Waterfront to purchase bulk supplies that would also be shipped to Asheville thanks to CT Transport. Walmart and Costco also contributed supplies to the Thomas Jefferson High School collection. In total, nine pallets of supplies were loaded onto a truck on October 29 at Thomas Jefferson High School and taken to North Carolina.
Among the items sent to Asheville from Thomas Jefferson High School were 35 boxes of diapers, 70 blankets, 50 winter jackets, 50 pairs of gloves, 50 winter hats, 50 sets of bath towels, 25 packages of disinfectant wipes, three pallets of bottled water, and two pallets of sports drinks.
A $1,000 donation was made to the collection drive by the Jaguar Den at Thomas Jefferson High School. The school store sells TJ Jaguar merchandise throughout the school day and is open during special events at the high school like open house and during parent/teacher conferences.
The West Jefferson Hills School District thanks the families, athletic teams, staff members, groups, and community members who contributed to the Hurricane Helene collection drive. Additionally, the district extends its appreciation to CT Industrial Services for its partnership to ensure these supplies made it to those who need them the most.