Michigan man receives community support in donating 15,000 pounds of items to Hurricane Helene victims
WATERFORD, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - Michiganders are going to great lengths to help with the recovery effort down south following Hurricane Helene.
One of them, Benny Hunt, is embarking on a trip intended to be made alone. He said he was compelled by videos of the devastation in Asheville, North Carolina, and he has the support of the entire Waterford community behind him.
"They were only going to sell me one [palette of water] at first and the lady was like, 'What are you doing?'. And I said, 'I'm going to Asheville, North Carolina.' And she said, 'Well how many do you need?'" Hunt said.
One palette of water turned into two, which quickly turned into three.
Once word got out about Hunt's mission, donations started coming in by the tons.
"What started as just two palettes of water turned into about a 15,000-pound load. Almost every business in our Waterford community has contributed in some manner to this drive. It has now been labeled 'Operation Asheville Drop,' and we are driving directly into Asheville, North Carolina," he said.
From food to water to hygiene items and clothes, even the trailer he's using to haul all the donations was offered by a close friend and local business owner. Hunt says he was compelled to make a difference, especially after enduring one of the most notorious hurricanes to hit the US when he lived in Florida 20 years ago.
"I watched as Hurricane Katrina barreled through the trailer park that I lived in North Fort Meyers. It still hurts today because a lot of people don't understand what it's like to lose everything," he said.
Hunt says the support he's received from his home in Waterford means everything.
"I never thought that I would see something as beautiful as this happen. Just the outpouring of support. I will never leave this town. I will stay right here," he said.
That is until it's time to hit the road to help those who've lost it all.
Hunt says there's still a need for charcoal, Propane, sleeping bags, toilet paper, and tents. Folks in the Waterford area have until 10 a.m. Friday to pitch in anything they can right here at the corner of Voorhees and Draper. That's when Hunt and his team will hit the road.
