Fact Check

Donald Trump Donated Food, Supplies to Victims of Hurricane Matthew in North Carolina

The Trump/Pence campaign delivered $29,000 in food and supplies to Hurricane Matthew victims in three North Carolina towns.

Published Oct. 17, 2016

 (Facebook)
Image Via Facebook
Claim:
Donald Trump donated food and supplies to Lumberton, North Carolina, and other towns ravaged by Hurricane Matthew.

From late September through early October 2016, Hurricane Matthew cut a devastating path northward from the Caribbean to the southeastern United States, leaving more than a thousand dead and billions of dollars in property damage in its wake. In North Carolina, Matthew's last point of contact with land before dissipating in the Atlantic on 9 October, at least 26 people were known dead and some communities in the western part of the state were still"effectively underwater" a week later, according to Reuters.

On 14 October 2016, posts went viral on Facebook and Twitter carrying the news that GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump had delivered $29,000 worth of emergency food and supplies to residents in Lumberton, NC and other nearby towns stricken by the hurricane:

Apart from the implication that Donald Trump himself was present for the deliveries (he wasn't), the social media reports were accurate. Led by daughter-in-law (wife of Eric Trump) Lara, a Trump/Pence campaign offshoot called the Women's Empowerment Tour spent two days delivering emergency supplies to Lumberton, Fayetteville, and Greenville, North Carolina in mid-October. Campaign spokesman Mark Serrano told the Fayetteville Observer that Donald Trump donated $29,000 worth of food and supplies for the effort.

The GOP nominee tweeted a short video about the hurricane relief mission on 14 October:

Lara Trump, a North Carolina native, credited the candidate with diverting her group from the campaign trail and sending them to the devastated region. She told the Fayetteville Observer:

My father-in-law said, you take a break and go down and help them out. We really want to bring whatever relief we can.

Sources

Lanyon, Charley.   "A Week Later, Hurricane Matthew Death Toll Continues to Rise."    Reuters.   15 October 2016.

Mullen, Rodger.   "Lara Trump Delivers Groceries in Fayetteville for Flood Victims."    The Fayetteville Observer.   13 October 2016.

Reuters.   "North Carolina Estimates $1.5 Billion in Hurricane Damage to Buildings."    16 October 2016.

David Emery is a West Coast-based writer and editor with 25 years of experience fact-checking rumors, hoaxes, and contemporary legends.