On August 25th, 2017 Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Houston, Texas. The storm caused extensive flooding and huge amounts of damage. To benefit those affected by the disaster, Vanderbilt Student Government (VSG) and Campus Dining are teaming up for a Share-A-Side initiative. Starting Monday, students may donate sides by letting the cashier know and putting a yellow Share-A-Side ticket into a ticket container. At the end of the month, the total proceeds from all of the donations will be given to a charity that VSG designates. This will be in effect in all of the dining operations on campus. Students can also donate by putting a non-perishable item into a donation bin that can be found outside of the Market.

Many Vanderbilt students are from Texas and were affected by the disaster. Maria Aguilera, a first year student from Houston, said that although her family is safe, many of her friends have had serious damage to their homes.

“The area where I live is one of the worst flooding areas in Houston. My street thankfully doesn’t flood, but some of my friends have lost their homes and others have to replace walls and furniture,” Aguilera said. “A lot of people don’t have money to pay for new stuff.” 

Earlier this week, the university sent out a mass email detailing counseling and other resources available to students whose families have been affected by the floods.

“My Peabody advisor reached out and said if I needed anything to let her know, some University Catholic upperclassmen I’ve met have offered to help too, my visions faculty leader reached out as well,” Aguilera said. “I definitely feel supported. A lot of communities have reached out to me and offered to help.”