NC State punter raises more than $1,000 in a day for those affected by COVID-19 in Hillsborough

HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- NC State punter Trenton Gill is preparing for his redshirt senior sesaon in his home gym in his basement.

"It's tough," said Gill. "It takes a lot of motivation to get through it and get through the workouts by yourself."

THE LATEST: COVID-19 updates in North Carolina

Gill said he's been watching the news, and after seeing how many people are struggling due to COVID-19, he wanted to help out in his hometown of Hillsborough.

"I just really wanted to help out," he added. "I've been kind of hanging out in the house and watching the news and I'm just like, 'Man, I wish I could do something,'" Gill said.

Trenton reached out to Orange Congregations in Mission and started a GoFundMe raising money to buy gift certificates from local restaurants for people who are in need. His original goal was $1,000 but after raising more than that in a day, he's upped it to $2,500 dollars.

"I've seen a lot of other guys kind of start their own little fundraiser thing," Gill said. "That kind of gave me the confidence I needed to start it, and I knew as long as I start getting it out--like I knew my platform with Pack football and NC State University--that would have really helped me with my goal."

RELATED: Duke lacrosse coach raises money to feed essential workers

"Our kids know there's a responsibility to it," said NC State special teams coordinator Todd Goebbel. "Our kids have done a great job of doing things in the community and doing things on the field."

Trenton said he of course wishes he was back on the field with his teammates, but this situation has helped him realize the importance of what it means to play for NC State University.

"Instead of seeing this and kind of getting all mopey, you can see it as like an opportunity," Gill said. "I finally have time to kind of focus on myself and focus on what I want to do and, like how I want to help people or how I want to get better in my life."

RELATED: 100-car parade sends love to family who lost beloved father, football coach

"I think this is an outside the box thinking type of time," said Goebbel. "I think everyone's out of their comfort zone. And people say great things always happen when people are out of their comfort zone, so I'm an eternal optimist. At the end of the day, I really do believe a lot of good things are gonna come."