In a matter of two weeks, residents of Florida and the surrounding region have been plummeted with Hurricane Helene, which eventually caused deadly flooding in cities such as Asheville, North Carolina, followed by Hurricane Milton, which was deemed one of the strongest storms of the century.

The immediate needs for those still in danger is immense, and the recovery process for the people, homes and businesses in affected areas will be an enormous undertaking. The region has a large promo community, and industry firms – in the area and elsewhere – are providing opportunities to help. PPAI Media is committed to amplifying their efforts.

If your promotional products company has established a humanitarian response, click here to share details if you would like to be included.

Natalie O’Leary, 2024 PPAI Rising Star, BAMKO

BAMKO’s business development director has rushed to her social channels to amplify the efforts of her father Jay Dean, whose company, Thomas Oilfield Services, will be sending three full tractor trailer loads of supplies to Asheville, North Carolina, an area severely affected by floods.

  • The truckloads will leave Longview, Texas on Friday, October 12.
  • The company will continue to take donations from 8:00 am – 8:00 pm Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Natalie encourages anyone who wants to help to ship supplies to one of two addresses:

  • 4250 SE Loop 281, Longview, TX 75602
  • 4033 S County RD 1210, Midland, TX 79706

Helpful supplies include food, water, cleaning supplies, paper supplies, pet supplies, hygiene products and medical supplies.

“Take your house, turn it upside down, and shake it – everything that falls out are the items we’re sending,” Dean tells the promo community.

O’Leary assures potential donors that her father, who is the former mayor of Longview, Texas, has experience with such humanitarian efforts. He organized housing and delivered supply efforts after Hurricane Katrina and severe flooding in Louisiana in 2016.

AIM Smarter

Nikki Stella, CEO of Altitude Group, which owns AIMSmarter – PPAI 100’s No. 15 distributor – has told PPAI Media that the company is rallying the AIM community to donate to two reputable relief organizations:

AIMSmarter’s central corporate offices are also making donations to both of these organizations, which have feet on the ground in both Florida and North Carolina providing relief efforts.

Cat Gagliardo, HALO

Cat Gagliardo, the corporate branding director for HALO, PPAI 100’s No. 2 distributor, is in Tampa, Florida, preparing to withstand the hurricane in her home. She asks that the promo world keep her and her family “in your prayers.”

Prior to Hurricane Milton’s arrival, Gagliardo and her husband acted quickly in response to the damage caused by Hurricane Helene. Within their community, they began helping people clean out their houses, which were affected by flooding and strong winds.

Noticing that there was a shortage of boxes which were needed to move undamaged possessions away from water, she leveraged her account with Uline, a distributor of shipping and packing materials, by placing an order for moving boxes, tape and protective gloves.

“A pallet showed up at my home the next day,” Gagliardo says. “By the following day, everything had been distributed.”