MISSOURI VALLEY, Iowa (KMTV) — At the Rand Community Center in downtown Missouri Valley, donations have come in strong. And within the past day, Gerry Rinella took in tons of cleaning supplies.
She created cleanup kits filled with supplies for flooded homeowners, free of charge.
"I started out with 100 and I maybe have 20 left, i have more coming in," Rinella said. "This morning I had so many people donating supplies and we have given out a tremendous amount today."
Some Missouri Valley homes are still flooded. In other parts, the water has gone down and homeowners started assessing damage. Volunteers at the community center say flooded homeowners in the area often work on their properties until dark. Then, they head over to their facilities for a meal.
On Saturday, Gerry and a few other volunteers fed a few displaced residents staying at the shelter. It's a quiet night compared to other nights when they had about 20 guests to feed, but this still makes life easier on William Jordan who comes to eat and return to his camper.
"I come to get personal care things that you need to survive without having to go out and go shopping for it especially when you don't have the money," Jordan said.
A few folks came by to look for things they need, understandably camera shy because of what they're going through. Jordan says he's thankful for the volunteers. Their labor of love puts a smile on his face.
"And they put a sense of humor back into me," Jordan said. "Now that I'm around these guys, I can say it's one of those deals where I can actually smile. I'd rather see people happier around this town than sad."
