Fresno City College staff members, student volunteers and local supporters assisted in mobilizing efforts on campus to aid in the relief of victims affected by Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.

Two weeks ago the typhoon slammed into the central Philippines island of Cebu, resulting in the tragic loss of over 5,000 lives and damages leaving more than one million families displaced in its wake.

Fresno City College cafeteria manager Anita Handy is from the Philippines and helped organize special luncheon on campus with food service company Taher, Inc. to provide relief to the victims of the typhoon. Plates of food were sold  at the luncheon for $7 on campus and proceeds went to benefit the Southeast Asian country.

“I came from the Philippines…it’s how much we can put together. They don’t need the money right now, there’s nowhere to spend the money right now – everything is destroyed,” Handy added, “so what they need is clothes and canned goods.”

Handy and her staff accepted canned food and clothing donations in the cafeteria to be shipped internationally to the disaster-torn region on Monday.

As restoration efforts continue to be underway in the Philippines, specific regions like Manila and other cities greatly affected by flooding and debris are still expected to experience routine power outages. In some places, water sources are extremely scarce and sometimes non-existent.

Fresno-based international shipping company LBC Express joined FCC’s fundraising relief efforts on campus and exported all donated items to affected areas in the Philippines at no cost to the school.

Handy and company also helped organize a raffle and silent auction on campus last Friday, combining it with the staff Thanksgiving luncheon held annually at FCC. A total of 140 raffle tickets were sold at $9 per ticket, selling out tickets on the day of the event.

Student volunteers from the Fresno County Office of Education’s Adult Transition program helped put the event together on the FCC campus and got to be in attendance for the luncheon.

“Given the opportunity to be here on campus and for our students to be able to react with college students gives them that hint to be independent. Anita lets us come in and help her decorate the tables, set out everything so that our staff here at Fresno City can enjoy it,” said representative of the adult transition program, Trina Rodriguez.

Student Services on campus also got involved with the fundraising event.

“[Anita] did a fundraiser last Friday and raised $700 dollars that she’s going to be buying canned food with…So I said to her, ‘why don’t we just put on the auction during the Thanksgiving auction?’” said Maile Martin in Student Activities.

“Hopefully, if everybody just bids on the first item, the lowest bid, she’ll make about $400 dollars.”

A lot of support came from staff in the form of donating items to be bid on at the silent auction.

FCC librarian Lynne Kemmer donated pieces of art, movie baskets were donated by the Financial Aid office and the Veteran’s Association donated coffee mugs to be raffled off.

Martin said “She’s going to take the funds she raises from this to purchase canned food items to send to the Philippines, and she’s doing a clothing drive as well; they’ll be sending canned food and clothing to the Philippines very soon.”