'We Got To Help Americans': Vets Help Hurricane Victims
By Jeff Todd
ARVADA, Colo. (CBS4) - A Colorado Veteran's organization known for honoring the state's fallen soldiers has changed its mission to hurricane relief.
"We just can't sit we've got to do something we've got to help," said Wes Love with Boots 66.
Love and his partner Tony Brenning started working with the Lowe's store in Arvada near 55th Avenue and Wadsworth Bypass as Hurricane Harvey hit the Texas coast. With a trailer and signs close to the road, the two started collecting.
"It was the perfect opportunity for us to get involved into it. We have a couple of employees that have family members down in Houston that were affected," said Lowe's manager Michael Hall. "Customers started to chip in as well and we were able to get a bit of material for them to get down there and really help those people out."
Love and Brenning drove to Texas without stopping. After getting to the Houston suburbs they were told Freeport, Texas needed their supplies.
"People don't have anything. There's nothing! We brought them toothbrushes, toothpaste toiletries items and they say, 'Oh my God, thank you,'" said Love. "They were so pleased so happy that we chose their place to go. They were just elated they couldn't believe it."
On their trip back to Colorado, Love and Brenning knew Hurricane Irma was headed toward Florida.
"We got to help Americans, I mean we went down to Houston so now it's Florida's turn," Love said. "We plan on leaving the second of October and we hope to have two full trucks to go down to Florida. I guess the destination is Naples."
So now, another donation drive is underway at the Lowe's in south Arvada.
"If we have the ability then we have the responsibility to help," Hall said.
"We expect a big weekend we really do," Love said. "We'll take care of our own."
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Jeff Todd joined the CBS4 team in 2011 covering the Western Slope in the Mountain Newsroom. Since 2015 he's been working across the Front Range in the Denver Headquarters. Follow him on Twitter @CBS4Jeff.