CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Now that Florence has moved out of the Charlotte area, people across the Carolinas are focusing on how to give back to those who need it most.
Six-year-old Mason Kiliany came to his mom with the idea to sew “hurricane pillows” after seeing how people in the Carolinas have been impacted by Florence.
“It’s kind of fun like stuffing and cutting and doing the, like doing the outsides,” Mason said.
He’s already sewed more than 20 pillows, with even more ordered. They’re each going for $5, with all the proceeds going to the Red Cross to help hurricane victims.
“He’s just the sweetest kid, really,” Rebecca Kiliany, his mom, said. “I mean, you can only teach them so much and the rest is just him.”
The UNC Wilmington tennis team stopped by the NBC Charlotte studios Monday to help out with a Red Cross phone bank.
The team evacuated from the campus to stay at a teammate’s parent’s house in the Charlotte area and wanted to use part of their time off from class to give back.
"As a tennis team, I think this is a nice group building, and they think so too, you know, time for them to give back to the community for something they had to leave for,” Ronnie Gooch, who is housing the team in Charlotte.
Businesses in the Charlotte area have opened their doors as drop sites for donations to send to the coast.
Daniela Hernandez, a State Farm agent on Fairview Road, is accepting donations at her office all week for those in need.
"It's just about being there for those that need us at this time,” Hernandez said.
Hernandez said she and other businesses are collecting items like water, bleach, disinfectant, gloves, bandages, first aid supplies, baby food, diapers, baby wipes, feminine products, trash bags, pet food, batteries, flashlights, pillows, blankets, and boots.
Other businesses listed as drop zones are 4M Fitness in Indian Trail, Six Sigma Dental in Matthews, La Authentica, Primrose School of Charlotte, and Southern Style Designs in Waxhaw.