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With school closed Wednesday because of the snowstorm, Cochrane-Fountain City students were unable to see off a trailer full of donations they helped raise for Mississippi hurricane victims. Ralph Roemer and his son Mike are set to leave this morning with supplies for 22 displaced families in D’Iberville, Miss.
C-FC organizations and students have adopted the D’Iberville high school, where 215 students lost their homes and are living in emergency shelters.
They spent the past few months organizing bake sales, emptying piggy banks and making presentations to organizations, collecting more than $10,000.
“It’s just something you should do,” said senior Nick Anderson, who showed up to help pack the 6-by-12-foot trailer with 39 bins of clothing, toiletries and 22 hams.
Packed inside were letters from C-FC children. The school also sent the D’Iberville students a videotape of kids from C-FC.
The Roemers hope to bring back a similar tape.
Barb LaDuke, a C-FC cook, whose son lives in the affected area, also planned to make the drive.
The Mississippi families, whose homes and middle school were destroyed, sent requests to C-FC for specific clothing and personal items, like toiletries and games.
“The parents didn’t ask for anything for themselves—they only asked for their children,” Ralph’s wife, Terri Roemer said.
The students wanted to help and settled on D’Iberville because of connections to the town — Fastenal Corporation of Winona had a store destroyed there, and C-FC fifth-grade teacher Larry Cyrus visited the high school while volunteering with the Red Cross.
Cyrus interviewed victims in other areas of Mississippi who were seeking Red Cross emergency assistance, and has shared his experience in community presentations.
“We can see what happened to the buildings, but we don’t see what happened to the people,” he said.
Monetary donations were used to purchase the supplies and food. Students also planned the menu for Christmas meals sent to each family: mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, cranberries, Jello, canned peaches, beans, corn and hot chocolate.
“This is something we plan to continue,” C-FC parent and substitute teacher Kelli Krzyszton said.
Students plan to write the Mississippi children, and want to go to the area next summer to assist clean-up efforts.
Reporter Shannon Fiecke can be reached at (507) 453-3519 or shannon.fiecke@winonadailynews.com.
