New Florence club collecting donations to help people in Kentucky impacted by tornadoes

When Susan Buckles decided to host a collection drive to help those impacted by devastating tornadoes that tore through Kentucky and the Midwest last week, she never expected such a large response.

“I know we live in a great area,” said Buckles, secretary of the Squirrel Hill Hunting Club in New Florence. “It’s a small town, but I can’t believe the stuff that’s pouring in.”

She and her husband, Gary, on Thursday packed 10 pallets of donations. Several more items are expected to filter into the club in the coming days as churches in Summerville and Punxsutawney collect donations. A U-Haul truck filled with donations is expected to arrive Sunday, she said.

Those will be transported to 3trees Church, near Mayfield, Ky., one of the hardest hit towns in the twisters’ path. Hundreds of buildings were leveled, homes are without roofs and bricks and broken glass are scattered. Residents in several Kentucky counties could be without heat, water or electricity for weeks or longer, state officials said.

At least 88 people, including 74 in Kentucky, were killed when a swarm of twisters swept across several states last Friday, The Associated Press reported. The storms destroyed a nursing home in Arkansas, heavily damaged an Amazon distribution center in Illinois and impacted Tennessee and Missouri.

“My husband and I were watching the news, and they had a little five-month-old baby that was killed and we just looked at each other and were like we have to do something,” Buckles said, noting that they previously held a toy drive after a hurricane slammed the North Carolina coast.

Buckles said she is still looking for donations including water, blankets, socks, coats, diapers, non-perishable food, paper products, personal hygiene items, pet food and more. She is also looking for volunteers to help package the items. Those interested in volunteering can call 724-600-9734.

Since the collection began, Buckles noted that other donations have been made, including the use of space at West Fairfield Auction Barn. M&C Trucking is helping transport the items for free. In addition, Buckles said she received a $1,000 donation to help cover travel costs. The remainder of those costs will be covered by the club.

“The people at M&C Trucking felt bad for the people who lived in Kentucky and had such horrendous losses through the devastating weather,” said M&C owner John Muchesko. “When Gary Buckles called and asked if there was anything we could do to help, we had thought that would be a small part of being able to get some assistance to those people.”

Donations can be dropped off at West Field Auction Barn, located at 135 Fairfield Lane in New Florence on Friday between 5-8 p.m., Saturday between 2-8 p.m. and Sunday after noon. Donations will be trucked to Kentucky on Monday.

“Yesterday, I was at the Dollar Store because we had extra money and I went down and bought $500 worth of toys and then I bought a couple hundred dollars worth of socks and underwear for the kids … and I’m running into friends and they’re handing me checks for $100 and $50 bills,” Buckles said. “It’s just amazing.”