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Bay Area nonprofit expects increased demand for clothing, hygiene supplies after hurricanes
FOX 13 photojournalist Barry Wong reports.
TAMPA, Fla. - As students return to Bay Area schools after back-to-back hurricanes, a longtime nonprofit expects the need for clothing and hygiene supplies to increase.
Oasis Opportunities serves all 270 Hillsborough County schools and programs, making sure every student has access to clothes and hygiene items he/she needs to attend school every day.
"In Oasis's 23 years, this is the biggest crisis we've seen. Most of our families that are coming to us, those thousands of kids that will be coming to school, there's going to be thousands of them that have lost everything. They don't have any clothing. They don't have any shoes. They don't have socks and underwear, and we need to do everything we can to help them," Oasis Opportunities Executive Director Dawn Schulman said.
Schulman explains that Hurricane Helene is the first time many of their families have experienced flooding. After helping 312 students get back on their feet, Hurricane Milton hit.
"Hurricane Milton added a layer on top of what our families were already suffering. "We have some families that were actually impacted twice," Schulman said.
The hurricanes hit after an already high-need start to the school year. Oasis provided uniforms and clothing to almost 8,000 students. They currently have inventory for 1,700 and are expecting thousands of requests post-storms.
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"One of the biggest things is a lot of our uniform schools were hit hard. Uniforms are not only something to wear to school, they also create a sense of unity and community between the kids and give them a safe, secure place to go back to that feels normal or more normal than they're experiencing right now," Schulman said. "Oasis really needs funding and donations for uniforms so that we can get these kids back in school and get them in their educational process again."
While the nonprofit gladly accepts donations at eight different locations in the area, Schulman says the quickest way to help is with a financial donation, so they can immediately purchase clothes to fulfill specific needs.
To help Oasis Opportunities, click here.
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