Hundreds of people in Northeast Wisconsin have come together to gather essential supplies for those affected by Hurricane Helene. This effort began with a simple phone call between Q90FM and Karl’s Transport, which quickly grew into a partnership with the Asheville Police Department. Now, five semi-trucks loaded with donations are ready to head to North Carolina, thanks to the coordinated efforts of several local organizations.
It’s been a massive undertaking to help those impacted by the hurricane, despite being thousands of miles away.
On Friday, residents across Northeast Wisconsin donated items such as blankets, food, and water. These essentials will be delivered to the Asheville Police Department, who will distribute them throughout Western North Carolina, an area devastated by Hurricane Helene. “The response has been overwhelming,” said Katie Connell, Executive Director of Q90FM.
The entire plan came together quickly. Connell recalled a conversation on Monday with Karl’s Transport. I asked, ‘If you can provide a semi, can you get us in touch with a police department in North Carolina Within 45 minutes, they were connected with Asheville’s Police Chief, who eagerly accepted the support.
With the help of Q90FM’s Police Lights of Christmas program, Connell reached out to over 80 police, sheriff, and fire departments in Northeast Wisconsin. Word spread quickly, and more communities joined the cause. Wendy Kuschel, Senior Communication Coordinator at St. Mark Ministries in De Pere, said her church immediately offered their support. We didn’t hesitate. We told them to bring the semi, park it in our lot, and we’ll bring the people.
What began with plans for a single truck grew into five fully loaded semi-trucks by Friday. When tragedy strikes, no one wants to feel alone. This is my way of helping those in need, said truck driver Joel Sheets, who will be transporting the donations.
Karl’s Transport will send the trucks off from their Antigo facility at 5 a.m. on Monday, October 7th. They expect to arrive in Asheville either later that day or the following day.