Students are joined by R.B., ACC's Riverbat mascot, to collect donations.

Residents of West, Texas, are getting support from Austin Community College’s chapter of Circle K International (CKI). The ACC student service club teamed with CKI chapters from the University of Texas at Austin and other universities to raise funds and collect donations for the community, devastated by the explosion of a fertilizer plant on April 17.

The students set up tables at the entrances of the Walmart Supercenter in the Southpark Meadows shopping center in south Austin on April 21. With the help of the community, the CKI representatives collected:

• 21 cases of water
• 14 boxes of diapers and other baby supplies
• 9 bags of clothes
• 5 packs of sports drinks and other beverages
• 4 boxes of canned food and other non-perishable food items
• 1 box of pet food and supplies
• 1 box of personal care items
• 1 box of first-aid supplies
• 1 bag of toys

Canned goods were among the items collected by students.

In addition, the donation drive collected more than $1,000 for the West Explosion Victims Fund in care of Pointwest Bank in West.

“CKI is all about community service and inspiring others to give back, so we wanted to jump in right away to do something to help the residents of West,” said Marcelo Urieta-Bravo, president of the ACC chapter of CKI. “We had students come in from all over Texas and Oklahoma to help.”

The students assembled the donations into care packages for residents and first responders, and the family of a UT-Austin CKI representative transported the goods to West.

In addition to ACC and UT-Austin CKI chapters, participants in the donation drive include students from Southwestern University, the University of Texas at Brownsville, West Texas A&M University, and Oklahoma State University.

“As soon as the students found out about the explosion, they said they wanted to help,” said Angela Robertson, ACC Student Life coordinator and CKI advisor. “All of these students have a true heart for service.”

CKI is affiliated with Kiwanis International, a global service organization. Click here to learn more about the ACC chapter of CKI.

If you are interested in donating to the people of West, visit the West Explosion Victims Fund webpage or the Red Cross of Central Texas’ Facebook page.

Slideshow from donation drive: