The school is partnering with Samaritan’s Purse to donate $100,000 to help victims of Hurricane Helene and the California wildfires.
HIGH POINT, N.C. — High Point University just gave $100,000 to Samaritan’s Purse, a group that’s helping victims of Hurricane Helene in North Carolina and the Los Angeles wildfires.
University President Nido Qubein handed the check to Rev. Franklin Graham, who leads Samaritan’s Purse, during his campus visit on Jan. 8. The big gift adds to the $33,000 that HPU has already raised to help hurricane victims.
“High Point University attracts students from all 50 states, including North Carolina and California, and we pray for the safety of everyone impacted by these tragic wildfires and the hurricane,” Qubein said. “It is saddening to see the destruction, and HPU wanted to partner with Samaritan’s Purse to provide relief to people who have had their homes destroyed and lives uprooted.”
Samaritan’s Purse is already on the ground helping. In California, they’re sending teams to help families look through burned areas for any belongings that might have survived the fires.
The group’s workers are based just 30 miles from where the Eaton Fire is burning in Los Angeles.
“When there’s a fire, sometimes there are less than 15-20 minutes to evacuate — it’s not enough time to grab everything that’s important to you,” said Graham, the eldest son of American evangelist Billy Graham. “So many people have lost everything in this disaster, and we want to help them in their time of grief…”
The university community is pitching in other ways too:
Students, teachers and staff have raised $33,400 for hurricane relief, given $10,000 to two North Carolina churches helping victims and donated many supplies.
In North Carolina, Samaritan’s Purse has made a difference after Hurricane Helene:
- 35,000 volunteers have helped 4,300 homeowners clean up
- They’ve flown 385 missions to deliver 700,000 pounds of supplies
- They’re planning to give 1,000 free, furnished homes to people who lost everything
