KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Nearly 100,000 bottles of water are on the way from Kansas City to those impacted by Hurricane Helene in North Carolina.
Jackson County Legislator Manny Abarca said he organized the effort to collect water across multiple locations in Kansas City.
The Kansas City, Missouri, Fire Department, International Association of Firefighters Local 42, Harvesters Community Food Network and Teamsters helped make it possible.
“You just can't understand until you're there and you see the devastation in person,” said Zach Alden, with Teamsters Local 41.
Alden and other drivers loaded up the water at Harvesters to take it straight to North Carolina.
“It's ongoing," he said. "It's not over in two weeks. It's not over in three weeks. It's a continual process."
Elizabeth Keever, Harvesters' chief resources officer, said the food bank's reach extends beyond Kansas City.
“As a food bank, it's our job to respond when there's a crisis, and we know that if that ever happened to us, we would have food banks and neighbors across the country who would be there for us,” she said.
Alden said when he hits the road, there will be one thing guiding him.
“No political party should be involved, no thoughts. It's just about doing the right thing,” he said.
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