Blue Ridge Community College employees unload one of 27 pallets donated by Fayetteville Tech, Robeson, and Bladen Community Colleges. Photo by Benjamin Rickert.

Fayetteville Tech, Robeson, and Bladen Community Colleges Band Together to Provide Donations to Blue Ridge Community College

Published December 16, 2024

Featured photo: Blue Ridge Community College employees unload one of 27 pallets donated by Fayetteville Tech, Robeson, and Bladen Community Colleges. Photo by Benjamin Rickert.

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On Monday, December 16, Blue Ridge Community College received donations from Fayetteville Technical Community College, Bladen Community College, and Robeson Community College. The donations amounted to 27 pallets, which were driven up on a single truck by Eric Smith, a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) Program instructor from Fayetteville Tech.

Smith had a busy few days preparing the donations. On Friday, he picked up the donations from Robeson Community College. Those were added to the seven pallets from Bladen Community College that were brought over a few weeks ago. Blankets, water, food, clothing and toiletries filled the truck.

Smith said donations kept pouring in, even beyond the cut-off time.

“We were supposed to stop collecting at noon on Friday, but people were still bringing items,” he said. “We didn’t finish packing the truck until 4 p.m. that day.”

To make the trip to Flat Rock and back in one day, Smith left Fayetteville at 3:30 a.m. on Monday morning. After the donations were unloaded at Blue Ridge Community College many hours later, he began the drive back home.

Smith said the sacrifice and effort were well worth it, sharing a message of unity.

“We are different units of one team,” Smith said. “When one is hurting, we all hurt. It was important for the schools to band together and help out one of their fellow community colleges.”

Kirsten Bunch, Blue Ridge’s vice president for Student Services, expressed sincere gratitude to the Fayetteville Tech, Bladen, and Robeson communities.

 “The support our sister institutions are showing for our college family continues to amaze me,” Bunch said. “Our community has endured so much in the last couple of months. The continued outreach and support from our sister schools reminds us that we are not alone in this. We are family and family takes care of one another.”