TULSA - A semi trailer filled with supplies represents just one helping hand that Green Country is extending to Florida after the devastation caused by Hurricane Irma.
Ricky Hanks, president of T-Town Roofing, had the trailer delivered Tuesday to the Victory Christian Center in south Tulsa. He has collected supplies for the past few days with the help of the Young Businessmen of Tulsa, while the church itself has received donations from the community for weeks in response to Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.
"I hope this kind of just lets everybody know that, America, we're still together," Hanks said. "We're stronger together than we ever could be apart."
Church members helped load pallets onto the trailer. These included cleaning supplies, tools, chainsaws, fans, food and water -- items that the church members know are needed given their past experiences.
"Anytime anything happens -- whether it's the earthquakes in Haiti, Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans (or) the tornado in Moore," Jason Nussbaum, the church's local outreach coordinator, said, "every time there's anything like that, we're always going to do everything we can."
It's generally discouraged for people to send supplies to disaster zones, but this particular shipment has a specific destination. The trailer will be driven to a sister Victory church in Orlando, where church members there will work to distribute the items to people who need them most.
"When things like this happen, you see the goodness in humanity come out," Nussbaum said. "We've seen people from all different churches, all different backgrounds and even religions and beliefs, we've all come together to give in a big way."
Hanks initially planned to head out Tuesday to deliver the semi to Orlando, but now it appears that he'll leave early Wednesday morning.
Additional donations can be brought to the Victory Christian Center warehouse at 7700 S. Lewis Avenue.
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