Palmyra couple compiles donations to drive down to those affected by Hurricane Helene

PALMYRA, N.Y. (WROC) — As residents in the path of devastation brought by Hurricane Helene continue to assess damage, one man out of Palmyra is looking to take relief efforts into his own hands.

Todd Schram told News 8 his equipment is typically used to haul livestock.

“We’ve had [our] trailer for a few years, and we saw the people down in Tennessee had problems, and we just wanted to help,” Schram said.

Hurricane Helene is said to have killed at least 120 people along its path and caused billions of dollars in damage.

Experts said those looking for help can make cash donations to groups providing aid or give to charities already working in the area.

Schram and his fiancé Bridget are helping in their own way and giving a new use to that trailer.

“We’re going to the take the trailer. And for donations, I think we have more than a trailer load coming in. We’re going to take that trailer down to the Carolinas with supplies to help the people down there that have been devastated by the hurricanes,” Schram said.

And they aren’t doing it alone. Schram posted to Facebook offering anyone who wanted to drop off donations the chance.

“It exploded, and it scares me how many people are donating,” Schram said. “I have one more trailer load right now, and if I have to, I’ll go back down with a second one.”

Todd and Bridget said they are thankful so many people want to help, but to them, it just felt like the right thing to do.

“I think it’s wonderful,” Bridget Bergstresser said. “That’s the community we live in. Whether it’s trucking community or farming community, everybody wants to help whenever they can help.”

On Saturday, the community will take helping a step further, and load the donations on the trailer before Schram drives it down and donates the full trailer at a warehouse in North Carolina.

“We’ve got a lot of volunteers. We’re looking to go into a big parking lot so people can bring it in. We’ll stack it on pallets. We have a gentleman coming in with a skid steer, and he’s going to put it up in the trailer for us,” Schram said. “And then I have a pallet jack that we can move it in the trailer in that fashion and make it a whole lot easier for us and quicker to get it on the truck and trailer.”

Schram and Bergstresser said they hope to have the trailer ready to go for a Sunday morning departure.

For more information on how to help those impacted by Hurricane Helene, click here on how you can help.

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