A sweet relief for Oklahoma

After a deadly tornado hit Moore, OK on May 20th, destroying everything her aunt and three cousins had, Sugarland employee and recent UNC graduate Liz Suttee knew she had to do something.

“My grandparents and a lot of my aunts and uncles live there, so I would go back a lot during the summers,” Suttee said. “It’s probably the place I would call home. I’m most familiar with it.”

Now, as her family rebuilds, Suttee’s employer is chipping in to help the entire city of Moore. On Wednesday, Sugarland will host a fundraising drive to benefit victims of the tornado.

Suttee said on the day of the storm, her aunt, Denise, went home to greet her daughters and saw that the tornado was directly across the street, near the local movie theater.

“She grabbed their cat, Pretty Miss Kitty, jumped in the car, and just started driving,” Suttee said.

Only one thing remained unharmed after the storm — a teddy bear belonging to Suttee’s youngest cousin, Avery.

“Her entire house has been destroyed. They really don’t have anything left … there’s not a lot left for anyone in the area,” Suttee said.

Shortly after the tornado, Suttee contacted her Sugarland co-workers about donating to Moore. Originally, she reached out for clothing or supplies for the Red Cross and families in need of immediate help.

By May 25, Sugarland had announced Moore disaster relief as its charity of the month.

After receiving Suttee’s e-mail, Sugarland’s marketing coordinator Hannah Walker decided helping Moore would be a great monthly fundraiser for Sugarland.

“We do a charity of the month for every month at Sugarland and we didn’t have one yet for June, so we decided to do a full-on fundraiser for her,” said Walker.

Through the first week of June, Sugarland is accepting toiletries and cleaning supplies. And on June 5th, 100 percent of proceeds from sales are going directly to the city of Moore to restore infrastructure and help disaster relief.

If customers brings in $50 in gift cards to Target or PetSmart, they will receive a dozen free cupcakes.

Walker said everything the store collects will be going directly to Moore.

“We got in touch with one of the distribution centers in Moore, and we will be sending the items there. The money is going to the actual city of Moore,” Walker said. The Yellow Rose Theater in Moore is accepting the items for residents.

Sugarland customers have already started bringing in items, especially at the Raleigh location. Staff members have shown strong support and are rallying behind Suttee.

“The other staff members here feel very connected and supportive of aiding Moore during this tough time,” said Amanda Ziesemer, another recent UNC graduate and Sugarland employee.

“I really appreciate how strong the community is in helping our neighbors whether they’re down the street or a couple states away,” Walker said.

Though the disaster in Oklahoma has been tragic for many families, including hers, Suttee said situations such as this bring out the best in people.

“With natural disasters, it’s not an ‘us-against-them’. It’s a community sense of giving. No one has done anything to us — it’s the weather and that’s totally unpredictable,” Suttee said.