 From the depths of despair, hope. Instead of running away people selflessly stay. They give everything, anything. Some risk all for a loved one and others to help someone they have never met. Fear is replaced with bravery and determination. Differences are set aside and lives are forever joined. As mother nature is at her worst, humanity is at it’s best. The sense of community that has swept our nation in these last few days has impacted some of us greatly. We all watched and listened to the news as Hurricane Harvey bore down on the state of Texas. Everyone heard about the latest developments in the checkout line at the grocery store and on Facebook. Some of us prayed. Most wished we could do something, even something small, to bring any relief to those who suffered. I have had the great honor of being part of that small something. Over the past few days our awesome little community in New England has collected hundreds of non-perishable food items, countless cases of water, hygiene products, diapers, wipes, clothing, blankets, and cleaning supplies. There was a non stop flow to our fire station, as the designated drop place, for two days as people offered their own personal food supplies, Every car that stopped had at least one gallon of water. Some had gone shopping specifically for hurricane relief, buying in excess of $100 worth of items to donate. Unbelievable. One elderly couple brought 2 gallons of water and a bag of canned goods. The gentleman said to me as we unloaded his car, “We don’t have much but I figured we should gather a few dollars and help out.” A young mother with a brand new baby donated a bunch of formula and diapers. She said she had gotten it all at her baby shower, but could buy more. Children helped their parents bring in countless boxes of macaroni, ramen noodles, cans of spaghettios, and juice boxes. One little boy said to me that macaroni was his favorite and he thought the kids down in Texas might like some too. One woman donated 46 totes of brand new clothing that her husband had been selling in an e-bay store before his passing a few years ago. One of our police officers stopped with his twin boys and helped sort through the mounds of items. Our local grocery store donated a truck full of boxes….twice. People offered their trucks, trailers and time to get the supplies down there. I left the fire station for one hour and when I got back there was over 50 boxes of diapers that had been donated. And that was only the first day. By the next morning there was a small pathway through our meeting room. There were banana boxes of food stacked floor to ceiling. Water took over 1/4 of the room. Giant bags of dog food had been stacked against a wall. Every ten minutes, if not less, someone pulled in with donations. I think we were all a little overwhelmed and emotional with the enormous response from our community. People came from all over the state to be part of this movement. I received numerous phone calls from other fire departments, police departments, banks and citizens asking if we were still accepting donations, how we were going to get it to Texas, and if were we going to do another drive. It took 2 one ton dump trucks, 3 pickup trucks and a box trailer to get it to the gathering point. I know that even though it seemed like a super huge amount of product to us, it will only make a small dent in the unfathomable amount of need for these people. We may not know what you are going through, but we will do what we can as community to bring a little light to your darkness. You and yours are in our hearts and prayers.
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