GREENSBORO, N.C. — We all want to make sure our neighbors in western north carolina get what they need. When mis-information is shared and reposted, it's not helping our neighbors or the entities trying to serve them.
The posts circulating claim FEMA and the Red Cross are confiscating donations. People are copying and pasting a lot of the same 'info'. Of course, both the Red Cross and FEMA came out with posts saying that the confiscation of supplies is not happening. There may be some of you who would say, 'Well, of course, they would say that'.
So, let me show you other sources that are also debunking the confiscating of donations rumors.
The Cajun Navy is all over Western NC helping folks. By now you've either seen posts from them or about them. The group's Facebook page addresses the rumors.
Are the donations being confiscated? No.
Are you not being allowed to deliver donations? No.
A dealership in Hendersonville, NC is also a source to debunk this rumor. Boyd Chevrolet has power, WIFI, and bathrooms and it's letting anyone come in and use its resources. The team there is also feeding the community hot meals for lunch. Because the dealership has so much room, it's a staging place for donations. Almost daily folks are taking donations to hardest hit areas.
2WTK asked if supplies were being confiscated.
"I don't know of any, any of that that has taken place. None of that has happened here. We, we are the ones who receive it and then also take it to, to where it's best needed," said Les Boyd.
Here's another source you know, Winston-Salem/ Forsyth County schools. The district posted pictures showing how its supplies made it to the intended drop-off point at Watagua High School.
The donations WFMY News 2 viewers made yesterday, all the water, the trash bags, the gloves, and more, were loaded on trucks and delivered to the staging place today.
The driver talked to me by phone. Again, I asked are you hearing or seeing any supplies being confiscated?
"All I saw was about 500 volunteers working as hard as they could to get this stuff off trucks to get it loaded on trucks and get it to the people that need it. That's what I saw, " said Luke Atkins, Elks Club Member and supply truck driver.
WFMY News 2 has sent field crews to 13 counties. We've seen with our own eyes what is happening in more than a dozen towns. We haven't seen or heard any evidence of supplies being confiscated, and you know people like to tell you when things aren't going well.