DANVILLE -- There's a community effort between three fire companies in three counties to collect donations for the hurricane victims in Houston, Texas.
Fire companies in West Hazleton in Luzerne County, in Scott Township in Columbia County, and in Danville in Montour County have been gathering necessary items for the past month.
A trailer parked at the Washington Hose Company in Danville is starting to fill up with essential items and will soon be on its way to help the victims of Hurricane Harvey in Houston, Texas.
The community-wide campaign started roughly a month ago, shortly after Harvey walloped that region.
“Makes me feel humble to help our community,” said Capt. Joe Stigerwalt with the Washington Hose Company. “That's what we're all here for as volunteers, to be able to help everybody that's in need, so if we can do this little part here to make someone's day better in Houston, we'll definitely bust our butt to do what we can do.”
This is the last day the hose company is collecting donations and the donations continue to come in.
Washington Hose Company coordinated the effort with the West Hazleton Fire Company and the Espy Fire Company just outside Bloomsburg in Columbia County.
Members of the Espy Firehouse say after living through the flood of 2011, they wanted to do anything they could to help.
“In 2011, we got water in here and we were out of our fire hall for three days,” said Chief Ken Carey with the Espy Fire Company. “But us compared to that, it's just incomprehensible. I couldn't imagine what they must be going through and just everything involved with it.”
Now all the donations from the three firehouses will be taken to West Hazleton and loaded into two donated tractor trailers that will drive the supplies to Sugar Land, Texas where there is a warehouse to store them.
“A lot of fire companies are collecting too because it's the right thing to do. Everyone needs a little help now and then,” said Mark Conrad of Berwick.
People here say they're proud to see their community step up and help out.
“I think that's a fantastic idea, and I'm sure there's a lot of people around here that would help because they've been through so many floods,” said Duane Hock of Scott Township.
“Listen, we're all Americans. We all got to pitch in when the going gets tough. That's what we do,” said Conrad.
The plan is to load the tractor trailers Thursday night around 6 p.m.
The trucks leave for Texas on October 4.