By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
A local trucker and his family are offering their services to deliver donations to Hurricane Harvey relief efforts in Texas.
Dalton Fischer, 24, of Hays, has offered to drive a load of supplies to the San Antonio Food Bank in his truck over the Labor Day holiday. He will leave on Saturday. The drive is also being organized by Golden Plains Trucking of Hays and Gemini Concrete Pumping of Hays.
Fischer and his family have been in touch with the food bank, which said it could take supplies to be distributed to shelters throughout the area.
Items that are needed include non-perishable food, bottled water, pet food, toiletries, cleaning supplies, batteries and flashlights, baby items such as diapers, formula, and baby food, bedding, and new never-worn clothing.
Donations will be taken at Golden Plains Trucking, 375 E. 41st (north of IHOP on the corner of 41st and General Hays Road), Hays, now through Friday. Drop-off times will be:
Tuesday until 5 p.m.
Wednesday 8 a.m.-9 p.m.
Thursday 8 a.m.-9 p.m.
Friday 8 a.m. until trailer is full
Fischer encouraged donors to pack their items in boxes, because this will make it easier for the donations to be stacked.
Fischer’s trailer is 36 feet long, 8 feet tall and 7.5 feet wide — and Fischer hopes to fill it with donations. If more donations are received than will fit in the trailer, the group will seek a larger trailer.
The Ellis High School graduate said he knew his truck was going to be idle over the long weekend and wanted to help. He also helped haul hay to Ashland after the wildfires.
Fischer had planned to pay for the fuel for the trip out of his own pocket. However, he said he would accept donations for fuel. Anything in excess of the cost of the trip will be donated to the food bank.
To donate money directly to San Antonio Food Bank, go to its website at https://safoodbank.org/. Monetary donations can also be made to the Red Cross at http://www.redcross.org/
FHSU
The Center for Civic Leadership at Fort Hays State University is organizing a fundraising drive this week and next for monetary donations for hurricane relief efforts.
Jars will be set out around campus for donations. The center will also man a booth on campus that will hand out blue ribbons in support of Hurricane Harvey victims and give out information on how people in Hays can help relief efforts.
Carla Parra-Martinez, and Anneka Sundell, both student Tigers in Service are already planning an Alternative Break project to the hurricane-affected area in January.
Details will not be available until after the floodwaters recede and closer to Christmas break.
Applications are taken online at Tiger Link for the annual service trip. There is usually a cost to students, depending on where they plan to go and on what project they will be working. Parra-Martinez said, in the past, it has been around $50 to $100. Donations are being sought to hep fund the effort.
The number of students who are selected to go on the project depends on the budget and how many people are needed for a particular project.
Parra-Martinez said she plans to go on the Alternative Break project this winter.
“I always want to help out, especially stuff like this that is really big. It breaks me to see it. I personally have never been through something like this,” she said. “I may not be able to hep money-wise and supply-wise, but I think it is important to help.”
Corrected 5:04 p.m. Sept. 1, 2017.