Local college student donating supplies for people devastated by Hurricane Laura

ATLANTA — A group of college students are helping people in the Gulf Coast by donating much-needed supplies that they raised over the last few days.

A Clark Atlanta student pulled this together for the victims of Hurricane Laura, and other students joined in to help.

Lamont Smith and a few friends collected and moved donations from both Georgia and North Carolina.

“Just trying to get them a little something to get going,” Smith said.

Thousands of bottles of water, along with toiletries and clothes are headed to Lake Charles, which was hit hard by the hurricane last month.

“Louisiana is close to my heart, I always use to stay there do vacations there,” Smith said.

His mother said he told her he wanted to do something for the survivors.

“He said, ‘Mom, let’s do something for them,’” said Jackie Smith.

And with that, the Athletes Across the States water drive was born.

This is Smith’s second major disaster relief drive. In 2017, Channel 2 Action News spoke to him as he organized his Duluth High School basketball team to help Hurricane Harvey victims.

“This is what I do, because of my story in high school in Houston. It’s just part of my personality I love helping. It’s the principal I was brought up on,” Smith said.

The loaded truck left this morning around 6 a.m.

Once they arrive, Smith and his former teammates will spend Saturday at a Lake Charles church handing out the supplies and helping in the cleanup.

Make a Difference Day (NCD)

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