By Emmy Benton, Special to Nighthawk News

It’s been three months since Hurricane Dorian devastated Ocracoke. This year, forget gifts – you don’t even have a Christmas tree. You’re just happy to have a roof over your head that doesn’t leak.

But then you wake up on Dec. 25 to a Christmas miracle: There are presents!

You can thank the elves at Food for Thought for bringing Christmas cheer to Ocracoke – and it’s not too late to lend a helping hand yourself. New, unwrapped toys can be dropped off at various locations (see the attached flyer) until Dec. 16.

These elves include Bobbie Murray, president of Food for Thought, along with others in the organization.

When Hurricane Dorian made landfall on Ocracoke on Sept. 6, the Category 1 storm’s high winds, storm surge and flooding damaged or destroyed half the homes and businesses on the island and upended people’s lives. Danielle Taylor, a real estate agent with Keller Williams OBX, took part in disaster relief right after Dorian.

“Everyone described it as a complete mess. People were already starting to pull stuff out because their houses were flooded and not even sure where to start because it was so bad,” Taylor said. “It looked kind of like a war zone.”

Three months later, residents are still trying to get their lives back to normal. This is where Food for Thought comes in. Food for Thought is a local nonprofit that feeds children during the weekend. Board members knew there was a need to do something for Ocracoke and decided on a toy drive to help the island’s children.  

Murray credited Linda White, another board member, with the idea of sponsoring a toy drive. The goal is simple: to make sure the hurricane doesn’t hinder the happiness of the holiday season.

“Some child is going to have a better Christmas morning because of this,” Murray said. “I think it’s more important for them to have a feeling of things being normal than for this to be some huge lesson in helping and compassion.”

Food for Thought wants to collect as many toys as possible. Amy Berge, an employee at Kitty Hawk United Methodist Church, has appreciated watching donations come in to the church. Other drop-off locations include the Outer Banks Family YMCA, Towne Bank in Southern Shores and Manteo Elementary School.

“The more we get, the better – the more kids we can help,” Berge said.

Helping children in Ocracoke has gotten people excited about getting involved in this cause. Lisa Wiese is a member of the community who has donated to the toy drive. She has enjoyed past visits to Ocracoke and wanted to help a community she loves.

“It’s a great cause, so I’m very glad to have learned of the donation drive,” Wiese said. “And being able to share something simple like toys for the children to an area that’s had so much devastation this year is a great thing.”

While important donations like food and building supplies have poured into the island since the storm, the toy drive brings a softer side to the recovery effort.

“I think that everybody has been so focused on necessities,” Taylor said. “It will be really nice to do something more on the fun side, specifically for the kids, which I think is amazing.”

What’ll really be amazing is seeing children smile while playing with their new toys.

“For the little kids, it will probably bring them lots of joy because right now they’re not seeing lots of joy,” Berge said. “They probably lost a lot of their personal belongings and I just hope it brings a smile to their face and they know that they’re loved.”

Freshman Emmy Benton wrote this story for her Introduction to Publications semester project. She can be reached at 23bentonem58@daretolearn.org.