FSU Collects Downstate Donations in Wake of Irma

WFSU | By Tom Flanigan

Published September 14, 2017 at 4:17 PM EDT

Volunteers were packing the donated goods, which had been stacked on the arena floor.

With most local needs now met, Tallahassee area residents were helping other parts of Florida recover from Irma today (9/14).

Donations came pouring in to Florida State University’s collection point at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center. More than a few of those dropping off their donations were surprised to see F.S.U. President John Thrasher among the volunteer collectors.

“You know we started brainstorming that what could we do now that we dodged the bullet of the major storm that we thought we were going to get to give back,” Thrasher remarked.

By late in the afternoon, the vast arena floor of the Civic Center was full of donations. Sherrell Cork, associate director of the school’s Office of Business Services was packing non-perishable snacks into bags.

“We have about 5,000 of those and then we have various toiletries. I would never have imagined getting these many hygiene items,” she said.

On Friday, all the donations will be headed to storm-tossed Pinellas, Lee and Broward counties.