WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — As the death toll continues to rise in Fort Myers, residents in South Florida are answering the call for help. A Palm Beach County couple is gearing up for their second trip to the west coast of Florida to deliver some much-needed aid and hope.
After seeing the devastation from Hurricane Ian, Maria Berrios and her husband David Ochoa knew they had to step in and help.
"To see homes being washed away and you have nothing but sand left, that's kind of hard," Berrios said. "How do you come back from that?"
So they packed up their work trucks and trailer with all of the essentials and headed west to Cape Coral.
They brought pallets of water, hygiene products, diapers, food, clothing and bedding.
"Everything was just flying and we were quickly overwhelmed with how many people were there," Berrios said.
The items were all gone in a matter of minutes.
"Rather than taking and setting it up on a staging area, we were handing it to the people," Ochoa said. "It was the easiest, most effective way."
The couple is now prepping for another delivery, but this time with some extra support. They're teaming up with members at Believers Victory Church in Lake Worth Beach.
"We told the congregation we are here to help people in need and that's exactly what we’re going to do," Devon Daniel, the executive pastor, said.
The church will be collecting supplies this week and encourages the community to drop off donations if they would like to get involved.
"We want to be and show the love of Christ to any and everybody that we can help," Daniel said.
Believers Victory Church is located at 918 N. Lakeside Drive.
Supplies such as new blankets, new clothing, toiletries, non-perishable food and water can be dropped off between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
