As New York struggles to rebuild, the rest of the nation, including the University, actively responds.
As a part of "Penn's Response," Student Financial Services sponsored "Penn's Operation Brotherly Love Drive" all day on Friday.
The goal of Operation Brotherly Love was to collect as many materials as possible for those directly touched by the tragedy. A moving truck in front of Student Financial Services offices in the Franklin Building, located at 36th and Walnut streets, collected items needed by rescue workers and families.
It was not the first mass Penn collection. National tragedies like the Midwest floods incited similar response from Penn and Financial Services.
"This is not a new idea," said Yvonne Giorgia, a Student Financial Services staff member and the head of Operation Brotherly Love. "We're just doing what we've done in the past... we're just helping out and doing whatever we can."
Wayne North American Moving and Storage supplied a truck and driver, who transported the goods to New York at the end of the day.
Flyers around campus and West Philadelphia advertised the charity event. Organizers were particularly looking for energy bars, flashlights and toiletries.
In addition to the community outpouring, Penn's athletic department contributed 3,000 T-shirts while the School of Veterinary Medicine donated 4,000 lbs. of dog food. Operation Brotherly Love also collected signatures and notes of sympathy for the survivors -- along with over $2,000 for the American Red Cross.
Michele Pankow, a second year School of Social Work student, contributed to the collection jar and signed the message board.
"The need has come around again and people are still willing to respond," Pankow said. "That's very encouraging."
As students, faculty and Philadelphia citizens poured their "brotherly love" into boxes, Will Ricksecker, an Student Financial Services staffer and Operation Brotherly Love volunteer summed the day up best: "Penn's response has been great."
