HARKER HEIGHTS, Texas — Karl Peters has lived in Temple for nearly 25 years and has his fair share of experience with devastation.
"The recent tornado that we had devastated part of my neighborhood," Peters explained. "We were about anywhere from three to five miles away from the initial impact of where it started."
When Peters saw all of the damage left behind after Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton, he knew he wanted to help.
The search began for any group that was accepting donations to send to the East coast. Problem is, Peters says there wasn't one.
"I scoured across the internet, Facebook, Google, I looked everywhere," Peters explained, "I contacted a bunch of people and organizations and really all I could get was ghost leads. So I decided to make my own."
Peters is now looking for donations to get essential items sent to those affected areas. Here is a list of what donations he is accepting.
- Non-perishable items
- Gently worn clothing
- Shoes
- Toiletries
- Feminine products
- Socks
- New underwear
- Jackets
- Blankets
- Generators
- Heaters
Peters called around to a number of trucking companies across Texas to help with his idea. He landed on Champion Delivery in Freeport. The company offered to send six delivery trucks to Peters so he could use them to transport items.
"We haven't set an exact location just yet because we are not sure," Peters added. "There's been such a mass rush of donations across the nation that we're unsure of where the help could be needed."
Texas has seen hundreds of tragic storms, hurricanes and tornadoes. Peters says Texans received a lot of help and the state was embraced with open arms. Now, Peters says it's time for Texans to return the favor.
"Whenever you look back, we had Katrina, the major hurricane," Peters explained. "All of our sister states came together and they gave us donations and supplies. We're not in need of help this time. I want to send it back. I want to repay the favor."
For those wanting to donate to his cause, you can drop off needed items at Texas Boat World at 303 W Central Texas Expressway in Harker Heights Tuesday-Saturday.
The last day Peters will be accepting donations is Nov. 11. He will then head to the East coast to drop items off.