Riverton High School students organize hurricane relief

RIVERTON - On Monday afternoon, a semi-truck loaded with hurricane relief supplies rolled out of Riverton High School and began the long journey to North Carolina. Dozens of RHS National Honor Society students stood by for the sendoff, exhausted from a long day of packing boxes and satisfied with the completion of a multiweek effort.

"The idea first started during our NHS meetings shortly after the hurricanes," said RHS Student Council and Honor Society member Aquinnah Wiblemo. "Some of our seniors suggested that we start collecting donations, and it grew and grew from there."

By 2 p.m., the massive trailer was two-thirds full of blankets, warm clothing, canned goods, baby items, camping gear, pet supplies, and 4,000 pounds of pinto beans from a Fremont County farm.

The donations represent the gathering efforts of the entire Riverton school district.

Organized and coordinated by the RHS National Honor Society, the campaign to source a literal truckload of essential items required contributions and labor from hundreds of students and community members.

With a third of trailer space not yet filled, Riverton's NHS students fought against the afternoon wind and assembled cardboard boxes, ready to receive the final portion of donations from 900 visiting students who were in town for the annual Wyoming Association of Student Councils conference.

With the empty boxes ready, buses representing over 50 high schools from across the state began to roll in. In no time, the horde of high schoolers had the semi truck packed to the gills.

"It worked out perfectly that we happened to be hosting WASC this year," said Riverton NHS member Elsie Bott. "By coordinating the donation drive with the Student Council conference, we were able to turn this project into a state-wide effort. The full truck represents all of Wyoming."

In addition to the NHS and Student Council, Riverton FFA students have also contributed to the disaster relief effort – mobilizing their unique connections to source animal care products and pet supplies.

From Central Wyoming, local truck driver Mike Osborn will cruise 1,500 miles to Western North Carolina, donating his own time and gas money to transport the precious load. Upon arrival, the goods will be sorted into a warehouse and distributed to displaced families and flood victims.

While RHS students did a lot of the heavy lifting, the project has relied on the guidance and experience of Riverton FFA and Student Council Advisor Linda Griffin.

Griffin has organized two similar large-scale hurricane relief drives before, first for Katrina in 2005 and then for Hurricane Harvey in 2017.

"We listened carefully to the needs of our connections on the ground in North Carolina," Griffin said. "We've loaded everything very strategically so that it's easy to unload and sort when it gets to Asheville."

Carrying a hefty box of cans up the steep stairs and into the truck, RHS senior Haiden Harding reflected on the importance of community service – even when the recipient lives thousands of miles away.

"We're a small group in a small town, but we've accomplished something big here," Harding said. "We've never met anyone there [in North Carolina], but we want them to know that we're connected."