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(source)A group calling itself the Disaster Divas has collected 800 prom and wedding dresses for the victims of last month’s tornadoes.

Founder Heather Russell, a graduate student, came up with the idea that started with a few friends asking for donated dresses from people they knew.

Soon stores were contributing new dresses as well.

Russell says she has been floored by the response she’s received.

On Saturday, the Divas gave away more than 90 of the dresses at Macon County High School, in an area hit heavily by the Feb. 5 tornadoes. The dresses, and a few tuxedos, were available both to storm victims and to others facing economic hardship.

Those dresses that didn’t find new owners on Saturday will be put in storage for future giveaways.

Providing aid to disaster victims is something that everyone can do. Whether it’s a matter of getting to an area where disaster has struck to help victims rebuild or a project designed to help teens retain a sense of normalcy, all of the aid that disaster victims receive has value.