NC State football defensive end Davin Vann is tackling more than just opponents on the field. The graduate captain and his family have spearheaded a hurricane relief drive at NC State football’s Close-King Indoor Practice Facility to aid victims of Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina.

Davin Vann, who recorded 10 tackles, a sack, 3.5 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles in Saturday’s 24-17 win against Northern Illinois, started thinking about hurricane relief efforts as soon as he walked off the field.

“My mom was just calling me to check up on me and we were just sitting on the phone, just talking and we were talking about the hurricane and what was happening in the western part of North Carolina,” Davin Vann said. “That’s kind of what sparked the discussion.”

The devastation left by Hurricane Helene struck a chord with Davin Vann and his family, who often visit the mountains. 

“It was heartbreaking,” Davin Vann said. “It’s very tragic for it to happen in that area of North Carolina because it’s such a beautiful area of North Carolina. But it’s just tragic seeing all those people struggle the way that they are.”

By Monday morning, Davin Vann had approached head coach Dave Doeren with the idea. He said Doeren was on board immediately.

Within hours, a donation center was set up outside the Close-King Indoor Practice Facility.

The drive, running through Wednesday, is collecting essential items such as bottled water, baby formula, hygiene products and non-perishable foods. Vann’s family business, Joyful Movers, is providing trucks to transport the donations to the Durham Rescue Mission for distribution.

Brittany Hall, Vann’s sister, said the family saw an opportunity to help and took action as soon as they could.

“Well, this is something that we can do, so we can just start it,” Brittany Hall said.

Rylan Vann, Davin’s brother and NC State football offensive lineman, said the family has held a commitment to community service. 

“We’ve always talked about helping people, do charity stuff and making our own charity work,” Rylan Vann said. “We really love the mountains, so us always wanting to help the community and help with charity work, plus us loving the mountains and visiting up there made us want to help and send stuff up there because we have a platform to do it.”

Joy Hall, Vann’s mother and owner of Joyful Movers, said she has found pride in Davin Vann’s leadership. 

“I’ve always tried to raise them to always give back and reach back and help if people need help and just live in a Christ-like manner,” Joy Hall said. “It warms my heart that he does that.”

Joy Hall said the community’s response has been overwhelming. 

“They’ve shown up and shown out and just brought a lot of stuff, it’s amazing,” Joy Hall said.

Rylan Vann said not only fans of the Wolfpack showed up to help.

“It really just goes to show how much love the city of Raleigh has, not just for the Wolfpack, but for the entire state, how much heart we have in the community,” Rylan Vann said.

Ed Adams, a 1969 NC State graduate, was among those donating. 

“We lived through Fran and we’ve been through a couple of things, living near Raleigh, and been without power for a week and in cold temperatures — been there, done that,” Adams said. “Those people need this stuff, certainly.”

Claire Parker, a graduate student studying teaching in special education, and her friend Kaylee Saunders, a UNC-Chapel Hill graduate, were motivated to donate due to personal connections. 

“It’s really heartbreaking to see my friends and family back home lose everything,” Parker said. “To be able to come so close here and drop something makes me feel like I’m helping.”

Joy said the initiative has already delivered one truck, with plans to deliver two more Wednesday morning and the final loads to the Durham Rescue Mission by Thursday morning. From there, the supplies will be transported to Asheville, North Carolina via an 18-wheeler.

Rylan Vann said he encourages members of the community to make any amount of donations.

“Just think about if you were in their shoes, would you want people to come and help you when you know you might not have the resources, not the money, but the resources, because it’s more than just money,” Rylan Vann said. “These people don’t get hit by hurricanes. You’re not expecting this to occur. So when it does happen, get stocking. It can change lives. So whether or not it’s a small deed or a big deed, anything helps.”

As the drive continues, organizers emphasize the ongoing need for support. 

“It’s not just gonna be short term,” Joy Hall said. “I want people to keep continuing to donate, even beyond this, like on their own too, once it goes further down the road.”

The drive will be open for a final day on Wednesday 12-8 p.m.