‘Heartbreaking and heartwarming’: College HUNKS collects donations for Helene survivors

BRUNSWICK COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — A local moving company is stepping into action to get much needed supplies to storm ravaged western North Carolina. 

“There’s a time to give and a time to receive, right now is our time to give,” Moss said. 

Jeff Moss, owner of the local franchise of College HUNKS Hauling Junk & Moving coordinated a drop-off location to collect supplies for western North Carolina. They’ve already made a trip to hickory to pass off the supplies.  

“So, we made the first run, we took 7,600 pounds that was collected in roughly 24 hours, 7,600 pounds nearly 4 tons of supplies. We ran that load, and my intent was to just run the one. When we heard the stories and spoke to the pastor of the church there in Hickory and went out and I talked to some of my helicopter buddies that are making some of the flights. We can’t stop,” Moss said. 

Moss shared one of the stories he heard during their trip west.  

“A helicopter pilot was sitting in a field trying to pick up a family of five and he kept asking them to come on, come on get on the helicopter and they kept going into their trailer bringing things out and suddenly they were gone,” Moss shared. 

A friend of Moss, Jim Robertson, talked about the work being done there to make sure help gets to those who need it most. 

“Once inside, the church goers will take this and separate it into piles of ladies’ clothes, children’s clothes, men’s clothes first aid goods whatever the case may be. Then, the minister came in and he asked everybody to stop for a second. He prayed with us and then they fed us a meal. Then afterwards everyone went back to work like ants on this pile of stuff that we had just brought in…it’s heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time,” Robertson said. 

Another truck was being loaded with supplies on Tuesday and the supplies weighed in at over 10,000lbs.

They will be collecting more donations Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the marina in Saint James and Made New Interior and Designs near Lowes Foods in Southport.