Five small planes stuffed to the top with supplies took off Friday heading to North Carolina, three of them from Indianapolis Regional Airport.
Bailey Purvis - with the help of volunteers - organized the whole thing.
"We may not have a large aircraft, but we can sure make a difference," Purvis said.
Purvis spent the day on the ground, sorting through the donations while the pilots were in the air, one of whom was her husband.
She said they have to think of everything with a mission of this magnitude.
"The mountains were a little rough today. There was definitely some turbulence they faced. That's also something for us to be mindful of when we are loading the planes, how we are loading them, how we are weighing things out, just to make sure we don't have items getting tossed around the plane," said Purvis.
But like most missions where the need is great, things are always evolving. After taking a look at inventory, Purvis said she realized there were still some items missing.
"When we were loading out the planes, we kind of realized what we were short on. That was kind of eye-opening for us because we put the list out there and we realized we don't have any hairbrushes. Hairbrushes are an item we need. We need combs and we need baby food," said Purvis.
She's asking the community to drop off those items and packaged foods at Indianapolis Regional Airport.
Purvis said she hopes these donations will lift the spirits of the people impacted by the storm.
"I hope the hurricane and flood victims feel love from the state of Indiana. I hope we are represented and they know we have their back and we are community," said Purvis.
It's going to take several more plane trips for them to deliver the supplies, so Purvis hopes others are inspired to do their part.
"If everybody would contribute something small, it makes a big difference," she said.
What is needed
People can drop off the items below at the Indianapolis Regional Airport on Saturday Oct. 5 from 9 a.m. to noon. Planes will depart later that day, with plans to host another on Thursday.
- Baby formula (powdered)
- Baby food
- Contact lens solution
- Razors
- Paper towels
- Can openers
- Can food items with a pull tab
- Diapers
- Wet Wipes
- Small bagged pet food 15 pounds or less
- Canned pet food
- Ready to eat food in sturdy packaging (Tuna, peanut butter, etc) Please, nothing requiring an opener
- Portable electric lanterns (Solar is best, battery is fine if you provide batteries)
- Trash bags
- Toilet paper
- Sanitary napkins
- Hygiene items (Toothpaste, mouthwash, Dude Wipes/adult wet wipes)
- Plastic silverware / paper plates
- Plastic tarps of any size
- Insulin needles (NO Insulin or other medications)
- Alcohol Wipes