SUNBURY, Pa. — It was a busy afternoon at the Lower Augusta Fire Company near Sunbury as people dropped off cleaning supplies and food. Firefighters are collecting donations for tornado victims in Kentucky.
"I said to myself I've got to do something to help these people, so I reached out to our members at the fire company and said we have to do something," Lower Augusta Fire Chief Mark Minnier said.
Seventy-four people are confirmed dead, with hundreds more unaccounted for after tornadoes ripped through Kentucky over the weekend. Chief Minnier was emotional as he watched news coverage of what is happening.
"A lot of people don't have nothing. They have nothing at all. That made me feel worse because we're sitting here perfectly fine. It makes you want to do something more," Minnier said.
Minnier and his fire company decided to collect supplies for people in Kentucky. They are looking for nonperishable food, cleaning supplies, feminine hygiene products, pet food, baby items, and toys.
"The main reason? Next week is Christmas, and we want to get Santa Claus back down there to redeliver and give these kids a great Christmas," Minnier said.
There are multiple drop-off locations throughout the area, including Cole's Hardware in Sunbury.
Sunbury Motors Kia on Routes 11 and 15 is also accepting donations.
"We're just getting message after message or phone calls about people wanting to give us a bunch of stuff. It chokes me up when I see the support that's coming in," Minnier said.
The group plans to deliver the items next Monday.
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