In the aftermath of Hurricane Florence, whose rainfall, storm surges and winds are expected to cause major flooding and damage in the coming days, Southwire’s Project GIFT will host a disaster relief collection, beginning on Wednesday, September 19.

The collection will be held in the parking lot of the Walmart Supercenter in Carrollton, Ga., from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. from Wednesday until Friday, September 21.

Hurricane Florence made landfall in North Carolina early Friday morning, and as of noon on Friday, more than 500,000 homes in the Carolinas were without power, and many residents were affected by flooding. Continued heavy rainfall from the storm is expected to last through the weekend.

“We have employees, customers, family and friends who are in the path of Florence. As far as we know, all of our employees and partners are safe at this time, but we stand ready to help in the days to come,” said Kristian C. Whittington, Southwire’s manager of employee engagement and communications and Project GIFT coordinator.

Items accepted through the collection include bottled water, paper goods, cleaning supplies, nonperishable food, baby items, pet supplies, personal hygiene products, ice chests and more. Clothing, sodas and out-of-date food items will not be accepted. Those purchasing food items for donation are also encouraged to pick up items that include meat or protein.

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“Our community continues to show its unity and strength during times of natural disaster,” said Whittington. “We challenge each and every one of our neighbors to step up and help us collect as many supplies as possible.”

Organizations and businesses planning to deliver bulk loads of supplies should call the Project GIFT hotline – (770) 832-4729 - to schedule a drop off time.

For additional information on the disaster relief collection, visit Southwire Community on Facebook or call (770) 832-4729. For more Southwire updates, stay tuned to southwire.com/newsroom.

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