Illini second baseman Reid Roper awoke on the morning of Feb. 29, greeted with a text message asking, “Is your family OK?”

The Harrisburg, Ill., native had no idea a tornado had ripped through his hometown just three and a half hours away, killing seven and displacing hundreds others from their homes.

Right away, Roper texted his mom to see how his family was doing.

“We actually live about five miles south of town, so it missed us by a few miles,” Roper said. “(My family) actually found out about it that morning. The sirens were going off so they heard it, and they saw on my brother’s iPhone that there was a tornado warning.”

Roper said his dad didn’t see anything coming toward his house, and his family was able to stay home.

“I was just real thankful to God that he kept them safe,” Reid said. “The fact that he kept them safe was a real blessing.”

He went on to check on his friends from town to make sure they were all doing well. Most avoided the worst of the storm, except one friend from high school.

“His house was damaged pretty badly,” Roper said. “I’ve just seen pictures of it. I haven’t been there since then, but I’ve seen some of the damage, and it looks pretty bad. I’ve talked to him and sent him text messages and just telling him I’m thinking about him.”

So about two weeks ago, when Illinois baseball head coach Dan Hartleb approached Roper about doing a food and fund drive for tornado victims in Harrisburg, Roper was immediately on board.

“The first instinct I had was to call Reid’s family,” Hartleb said. “I was relieved when they answered the phone and said that everyone in his immediate family was safe and their homes weren’t affected by the disaster. From that point forward, we felt like it would be important for our baseball team and athletic department to organize an effort to take care of a member of our Illini family.”

Wednesday, from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., members of the Illini baseball team will be at the Clubhouse at Illinois Field to collect items. Those on campus can also drop off items at Irwin Academic Center.

“I think this is an awesome thing,” Roper said. “I’m just real appreciative of all the support of Harrisburg and all the community there, and I just think this is a good thing for us to play a part to help provide for families in need there.”

Roper said he’s excited to get to see some of his family and friends, who plan to come to the Illini’s games Friday and Saturday. Following Saturday’s game against Northern Illinois in Carbondale, Ill., the Illini will drive to Harrisburg to present the items to the Harrisburg community leaders.

“Whatever we can contribute is helpful,” Roper said. “I don’t know if there’s a specific goal or anything, but just to let people know that we care and hopefully can provide a need for somebody in this time.”