Tractor

Aug 18, 2023

By Peter D'Oench

August 31, 2023 / 3:34 PM / CBS Miami

DORAL - The Global Empowerment Mission says it has sent two tractor-trailers and a number of other vehicles with much-needed supplies for Hurricane Idalia victims to North Florida.

GEM is working closely with the Crosspoints Baptist Church in Perry to distribute supplies.

GEM's Chief Development Officer Patrick Lynch gave CBS News Miami's Peter D'Oench a tour of the facility where 25 volunteers have been working.

Lynch said, "We are sending everything from hair ties and baby wipes, soaps and bathroom kits to face creams, tissues and wipes. We have dry socks, rice, pasta, water and many non-perishable items like soups from Goya, one of our largest donors to fruit and sausages, green beans and beats. In general, these family packs help families of four people for a minimum of 72 hours. Fortunately, we are no strangers to disasters and when our neighbors up north are in need we do what we can when we can. We remember how people helped us after Hurricane Andrew."

Volunteers said they felt compelled to help.

Bryan Hoyo said, "We are just grateful to be able to do this and help people in need. Sometimes we are the ones in need so it is nice to be able to give back."

Velma Lawrence of the Embrace Girls Foundation was also helping out, saying, "It's important to give back. We have been blessed with our charity so when others are in need, we drop everything to help out."

A CBS 4 News Miami crew was in Perry as GEM's tractor-trailers were arriving.

Emily Fullmer, GEM'S Vice President of Operations, was on site and said "Right now in Perry, about 7,000 folks are still out of power and we need to keep people fed today. There are hundreds of cars waiting on line, maybe more than a thousand. The line is so long you can not see the end of it. So we are happy to help the community when the community needs it. There are people here whose homes are damaged and people here because they were not prepared for the power outage."

CBS News Miami also caught up with Sweetwater Mayor Jose "Pepe" Diaz who said that he and a delegation of people from his city drive through the night to help out with the distribution of the supplies in Perry.

He said, "This is what we are all about in the city of Sweetwater. I am very proud and emotional and this is satisfying when you do something like this to help people and there were persons in this case like mothers with kids in cars who said they lost everything. It was very sad and this broke my heart. We are very proud to be able to help them. And I remember after Hurricane Andrew how people came from all over to help us."

GEM says volunteers and donations are needed.

To find out how you can help, go to GlobalEmpowermentMission.Org.

Peter D'Oench is a reporter for CBS4 News. He came to CBS4 from WKRN in Nashville.

First published on August 31, 2023 / 3:34 PM

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