PORT ORANGE, Fla. — What started as social media post on Monday night has blossomed into a huge effort to fly supplies to North Carolina to help residents there affected by Hurricane Helene.

Inside Alberto’s Pizza Shop in Port Orange, three people who had never met are turning the restaurant into a hub for hurricane relief.

“We’ve got deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste,” said Katie McCafferty, who runs the community Instagram page @WeLovePortOrange.

It all started with McCafferty, who, after seeing the images of destruction in North Carolina, felt like she had to do something.

“I’ve got family in North Carolina and we know we’ve been hit here, and just to see the total devastation there is terrible,” said McCafferty.

She was able to get in contact with Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster, also known as VOAD, to find out what people there need most.

She then put out the call for help on social media, connecting with Angelina Strickhouser of Alberto’s Pizza Shop and Mike Partovi, who is a pilot.

Strickhouser’s family owns Alberto’s, where they like to give back often, and they are now serving as a community drop off point for supplies.

“I think more importantly than having great food is being able to serve people in ways that they need when they are in desperate need like they are,” said Strickhouser.

Every few minutes on Tuesday afternoon, someone new stopped by to donate hygiene supplies, which, according to VOAD, is currently the most urgent need for storm victims.

From there, Partovi, who has been a pilot for 17 years, packed up his truck to take it to his hangar, where his plane is already loaded up and ready for his first flight to North Carolina.

“We are staging at one large airport and then branching out from there, moving into one of the heavier hit spots that need the aid,” said Partovi.

He’s eager to fly up as many times as needed, using his skills and personal plane to get these supplies to those who need them most.

“It’s fantastic to be able to use it for good,” said Partovi.

Organizers say they have been overwhelmed by the community support so far, but suspect it’s partly because this area knows first-hand what storm victims in North Carolina are dealing with.

“It hits home for us because we’ve experienced flooding, trees in our home, but their loss is so significant so for us we get it, we want to send as much as we can,” said McCafferty.

While it won’t fix the devastation, she said the hope is the donated items will give storm victims just a little relief and hope for the future as they start their recovery.

“We hope to remind them that we are thinking of them and we are here for you,” said McCafferty.

She said they plan on collecting supplies and monetary donations at least through the end of the week.

For anyone who would like to drop off supplies, they are currently collecting at:

Port Orange

• Alberto’s Pizza at 4036 Suite E Nova Road
• Pinch A Penny at 3755 S Nova Rd

New Smyrna

• McKenna’s Place at 1433 S Dixie Fwy
• Pinch a Penny at 214 N Dixie Fwy

Ormond Beach

• Calvary Christian Church Center at 1687 W Granada (between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.)