The iSchool at Drexel recently held a tote bag drive for those affected by tornadoes in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
On April 27 a series of 12 tornadoes hit the area. According to the Associated Press, over 230 people were killed and about 14,000 homes were destroyed.
“Our dean had heard about [the tornadoes], and he has friends in the area … so he reached out to them and asked if there was anything that the iSchool could do and they wrote back to us and said that, as trivial as it may have sounded, they really needed tote bags,” Brenda Sheridan, director of college relations at the iSchool, said.
The iSchool teamed up with Elizabeth Aversa, a Drexel alumna and director of the University of Alabama’s School of Library and Information Studies, to organize the tote bag drive.
The iSchool explained the reasoning behind the necessity of tote bags in a press release for the event, saying, “Reusable totes are needed by volunteer organizations throughout Alabama to aid in the delivery of food, packing supplies, school supplies, clothing and other essential items.”
“The need in Alabama is great, and sometimes something as simple as a tote bag can have an impact,” David Fenske, Dean of the iSchool, said.
In order to promote the tote bag drive, the iSchool sent out notifications to the University through the Drexel Daily Digest, the iSchool’s almuni listserv and faculty and staff of the iSchool.
The iSchool collected over 300 tote bags and sent out the first shipment to Alabama May 13.
“We’re still getting more totes, so we definitely will mail something at the end of this week,” Sheridan said.
For more information about Totes for Tuscaloosa and ways to help, email Sheridan at [email protected].