SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) -- While there are many across the nation coming together to provide recovery for those affected by Hurricane Harvey, a local school is increasing those efforts.
Students at Memorial Day School are asking parents, family, friends, and Savannahians to donate cash, non-perishable foods, water and toiletries to those who've experienced tragedy during Hurricane Harvey.
17-year-old Bhumi Patel, a high school senior and Jennifer Adams, an art teacher and student advisor began organizing the school's efforts, with a special tie -- both have family in Texas.
"It's heartbreaking, but it also shows how much we can help and how much we can come together as a nation and as a community," Patel said.
The effort of this small school of 250 students has brought this community together.
Parents come to drop off and pick up their child, some of them hand cash donations to the students, and others pull up with a trunk full of supplies to donate.
"It's important because we can't help something like this it's a natural disaster. We are not capable of controlling this," Patel said.
For a Texas-native like Adams, it's heartbreaking, since she has family impacted by the hurricane. She says her cousin's home is flooded and other family members have cars submerged in water.
"With everything that's going on in our country and the heartache that we've experienced -- to give and to help without even knowing who you're handing this out to just knowing freely that you're helping out somebody," says Adams.
Patel and Adams reached out to community members about donations on Sunday night, and by Monday morning an influx of people arrived bringing whatever they could provide.
Their goal is to fill up a truck to drive to Texas this weekend with a few teachers and a couple of students to hand deliver supplies and help out.
The teachers say they will pay for the transportation and lodging on their own -- they just need the school and parents to approve.
Adams says this experience and act of kindness is something they cannot teach in the classroom, "I want our kids to show compassion and care and know that their small act of kindness is going to affect a very large community."
If you would like to donate to Memorial Day School, go to their main office during school hours to drop off the items by Friday.
You can also pull in during their car pool at 8:30 a.m. when students are dropped off and at 2:30 p.m. when they are picked up.
