Houston, Texas and surrounding areas have recently suffered immense damage due to Hurricane Harvey. Harvey stands out as one of the most notoriously catastrophic hurricanes in modern American history. With over 400 undergraduate students hailing from Texas as of fall 2016, the Vanderbilt community has undeniably suffered much personal loss due to the disaster. Although the damage cannot be undone, there are ways the Vanderbilt community can rally and seek to alleviate the suffering of those affected by the hurricane:

Donation Bins

Many students can relate to rarely-used clothing items cluttering their closets or uneaten Munchie Mart items being thrown to waste. Fortunately, thanks to the Vanderbilt Athletics Drive for Texas Flood, these items can be put to use. Trailers, provided for free by Fox Moving and Storage, will be available in the McGugin Center on Wednesday, September 6 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. to store non-perishable food items, gently used clothing and bottled water that students and faculty bring to donate. Donations will be sent to collection sites at the University of Houston, Rice University and Texas Southern University. For those looking for more convenient donation options, starting this Monday, Vanderbilt Student Government and Residential Education are placing donation bins near campus Munchie Marts to collect non-perishable food and in residence halls to collect clothing. Vanderbilt’s service fraternity, Alpha Phi Omega will be manning these donation bins. Items should be donated by Wednesday, when volunteers will bring the bins to the Vanderbilt Athletics lot to be collected in trailers.

Share-A-Side

Another convenient way every student can become involved in hurricane relief effort is by choosing to donate a side at a meal. This can be done easily through the Share-A-Side program, organized by Campus Dining and Vanderbilt Student Government. Starting this Monday, simply inform your cashier that you would like to donate a side, and you will be handed a yellow Share-A-Side ticket to place into a ticket container. The total funds collected will be donated to a VSG designated charity at the end of the month.

Every member of the Vanderbilt community has a variety of convenient options through which to assist those affected by Hurricane Harvey. For a simplified list of options, see below:

• Vanderbilt Athletics Drive for Texas Flood on Wednesday, September 6, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the McGugin Center. Non-perishable food items, gently used clothing, and bottled water are accepted.
• Munchie Mart donation bins from Monday, September 4 to Wednesday, September 6. Non-perishable food items accepted.
• Residence hall donation bins from Monday, September 4 to Wednesday, September 6. Gently used clothing accepted.
• Share-A-Side throughout the month of September in campus dining halls. Inform the cashier of intent to donate a side, and drop the ticket you are given into container.