Canfield first responders gather truckloads of donations for hurricane victims in North Carolina

CANFIELD, Ohio (WKBN) – What started with just a handful of donated items locally has become a huge outpouring of support for hurricane-ravaged victims in one western North Carolina town.

It all started late last week with a half-dozen items, but an effort by Canfield Police and firefighters to collect donations for Hurricane Helene victims has grown dramatically.

“We have an amazing community here in the Valley. All you need to do is give them a nudge,” said Canfield Police Sgt. Josh Wells.

In just a matter of days, that nudge has turned into more than two tractor-trailer loads of goods, with more coming in all the time.

On Wednesday, individuals and groups dropped items off at the city building. One of the first to come forward was the American Legion Post in Columbiana.

“Seven pallets of water in one-gallon jugs boxed up. So there’s three jugs of one gallon per box, which is 28,000 pounds of water,” said Ernest Thomas, with American Legion Post 290.

The donations also included cash.

“I know there’s an exact number but off the top of my head, it’s somewhere between $30,000 and $40,000, and the checks just keep coming,” Wells said.

Not realizing just how many donations they’d receive, organizers then approached a number of local grocery stores to buy what they needed.

“We went in with budgets and said we’d like to spend $10,000 buying stuff. The one place gave us $17,000. We paid $10,000, they gave us $17,000. So they’re contributing,” said Sam Pitzulo, of Canfield.

By this weekend, all of the donations and more will be heading for the police department in the Asheville, North Carolina suburb of Woodfin.

“They’re a similar-size community and, you know, they’re just trying to help their community the best they can. So it’s just one community helping another,” Wells said.

At a time when people across western North Carolina need it the most.

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