NORFOLK, Neb. – Stef Mundil grew up on a farm near Humphrey, with her two brothers and three sisters, helping their parents raise cattle, hogs and other small livestock. Her parents also raised field corn, seed corn and soybeans.
So, it probably should not come as a surprise that the Northeast Community College Health & Wellness instructor started to think about how horrible the recent hurricanes were, especially for the farm families in western North Carolina.
“Living in small-town Nebraska, my parents instilled in me that we are here on this earth to help our neighbors, give what we can, and always give our best away,” Mundil said.
She and her friends went into action, collecting supplies and making plans to get it to North Carolina.
“First and foremost, our concern is with the people of the Southeast. We do know that many people have lost their lives due to this terrible storm, along with their entire livelihood. Farms and livestock have been swept away by the flooding, and we put ourselves in their shoes and we would want someone to come and help us out. I envision western North Carolina being a little like Nebraska. People show up for each other and give more than they are able,” Mundil said.
On the Northeast campus, donation boxes can be found in the lobby on the upper and lower levels of the Ag, Allied Health Building and the Cox Activities Center lobby.
Larger, heavier livestock supplies -- such as feed, fence posts, farm supplies -- can be dropped off in the AAA parking lot across from Bomgaars in Norfolk on Saturday, Oct. 19, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Donations of new/gently used coats, gloves, hats, boots, etc. are also needed as the weather has begun to turn cold in North Carolina.
Throughout this entire process, livestock producers from around the Midwest have reached out with donations. And as the word of their efforts spread, Mundil and her friends were connected with others, including an individual in Nebraska who used to live in North Carolina and still has family and friends there.
“This has been extremely helpful when trying to line up donation drop-offs and determine what people are most needing at this time in the recovery process. We are planning to leave for North Carolina at the end of October. We will be pulling a stock trailer, hopefully jam-crammed with supplies,” Mundil said.
Donations at Northeast will be accepted through Friday, Oct. 25. Anyone with questions may email Mundil at stefanie@northeast.edu.
“As my friend has said daily since we decided to do this, God has put it on our hearts to help out, and the least we can do is travel a few hours to help a few people get back on their feet,” she said.
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