Northville Twp. P.D. launches Hurricane Helene donation drive
Deputy Chief Matthew MacKenzie holds some of the items the Northville Township Police Department is collecting for people impacted by Hurricane Helene.
Members of the Northville Township Police Department can’t stop helping people even when they are off duty.
After watching videos of families struggling to recover from Hurricane Helene’s damage, the law enforcement agency is hosting a community-wide donation drive Oct. 9-15 to help those hit by the devastation.
For this relief effort, the police department is accepting from the public specific items for cleanup and recovery. It’s focusing on items that are often overlooked, which are:
• Trash bags
• Heavy-duty work gloves
• New, unopened socks
• Sanitizing wipes (Clorox, Lysol)
• Tarps
The police partnered with Howell, Michigan’s American Legion, which will be handling the transfer of donations from Northville Township to Asheville, N.C., one of the area’s hardest hit by Hurricane Helene.
Public Safety Officer ignited drive
The force behind the drive is Connie Burnett, who answers 911 calls as a Public Safety Officer (PSO) with the Northville Township Police Department.
She used her vacation time to arrange the drive and set up all the logistics. She felt compelled to do something to help.
“My heart hurts for these people,” PSO Burnett said. “You know, we’re not affected by the hurricanes up here, so I feel like we should all come together as a community and help those that need help right now.”
This is not Burnett’s first time leading such an initiative. Following the deadly tornadoes that struck Kentucky in 2021 killing 74 people in the state, she organized a similar relief effort with the help of Township Police Officer Megan Roy.
Together, they gathered and delivered essential supplies to those affected, demonstrating their unwavering dedication to community service both near and far.
“Our officers, our public safety officers and our staff show day in and day out that they are here to help people in times of need whether in their own backyard or across the country,” said Director of Public Safety and Chief of Police Scott Hilden.
Find donation bins here …
Donation bins are available at Township Hall (44405 Six Mile Road), the Police Department lobby (41600 Six Mile Road), and the Fire Department vestibule (45745 Six Mile Road).
The bins are accessible 24 hours a day. After the drive ends Tuesday, Oct. 15, Burnett will be delivering the donations to American Legion Howell Post 141, which has several semitrailers to carry supplies to North Carolina.
The Police Department is unable to accept cash donations. To give items outside of this list, please contact the American Legion Howell Post 141, which is collecting many other items and can accept cash donations as well.
For more information, click here.
For questions about the donation drive, please contact PSO Burnett at cburnett@twp.northville.mi.us.
“It’s always been placed on my heart just to help people,” PSO Burnett said. “So many people want to help, and a lot of people just don’t know how. I’ve really just tried to be that contact point to gather those items and help people come together as a community.”
Thank you to Northville Township Communications Director Rene Wisely for contributing this article to SocialHouseNews.com.
