LUMBERTON — As much of South Carolina remains under water, Michael Smith is hoping to provide struggling residents with a little bit of comfort.

Smith, a hospice community educator with Healthkeeperz of Robeson County who has family in South Carolina, is organizing a supply drive for the people of South Carolina.

“We as company pride ourselves in taking care of not only our patients and their families but also the communities that they are from and represent,” he said. “We see this as a great opportunity to reach out to our neighbors and show a small act of love and kindness in this devastating time.”

South Carolina was inundated by rain last week, with as much as two feet falling in some places. Flooding prompted evacuations and extensive road closures and threatened local water supplies. Floodwaters in hard hit areas, including Columbia, may not recede for days.

“I have a cousin who is a student at The University of South Carolina,” he said. “Thankfully, he is OK. But there are a lot of people suffering. So I wanted to reach out to our neighbors in South Carolina and help.”

The donations are set to be delivered on Oct. 16 or Oct. 17 to A.C. Flora High School, which is currently serving as the largest shelter in Columbia for people affected by flooding. Recommended donations include non-perishable food items, water and basic medical supplies. Smith says that he will also reach out to Palmetto Home Health and Hospice, an independent home health organization in South Carolina, to give resources to its residents.

Smith says that if the flood waters have receded by the delivery date, he will personally travel to the shelter with Millie Evans, a nurse with Healthkeeperz, to deliver the donations. He said they may unload and sort the donations, or they may assist in distributing them to those who are in need.

In the event that the flood waters make travel difficult, Smith says that South Carolina’s Department of Emergency Services will pick up and deliver the donations to the shelter.

Donations can be dropped off at local Healthkeeperz locations including the Pembroke office on 209 W. Third St.; the Laurinburg office at 700 Progress Place in Suite C; or the Fayetteville office on 4155 Ferncreek Drive in Suite 201.

Anyone who can’t make it to these locations can drop their donations at any Red Cross office or fire department. Monetary donations can be made to the Red Cross of South Carolina at RedCross.org.

For information, contact Smith at 910-736-7616 or email [email protected].

By Gabrielle Isaac

[email protected]

Gabrielle can be reached at 910-816-1989 or on Twitter @news_gabbie.