PLYMOUTH – Two 18-wheelers full of items are headed to Florida from the Bay State for Hurricane Irma relief.
Sheriff’s from the across the state partnered to collect non-perishable items recommended by the Florida Sheriff’s Association needed for Key West, which was one of the hardest hit areas from the storm.
Donations were collected over the last few weeks and trucks left from Plymouth Tuesday for Florida.
Barnstable County Sheriff James Cummings collected items at his office and residents made donations at eight other drop-off locations at police departments in Bourne, Brewster, Dennis, Falmouth, Harwich, Orleans, Sandwich and Wellfleet.
“The citizens always come through and the Cape people were very generous,” Cummings said.
The sheriffs from the state discussed what they could do for Florida after the storm at a recent association meeting and decided to contact the Florida Sheriff’s Association to find out what they needed.
“They sent us a list of items that they needed and we were able to distribute them amongst the 14 sheriffs,” Cummings said.
Cummings said it is important to pay it forward.
“At some point in time one of these storms is going to make it through and we are going to get hit with it,” said Cummings. “So we might be on the receiving end of some of this material at some point in time so I think it’s great to be out in front of it and help our neighbors.”
The sheriffs are not forgetting about the people in Puerto Rico.
“There aren’t any sheriffs in Puerto Rico so we don’t have a contact down there but, from what I have heard, the best way to help the folks in Puerto Rico is to donate cash,” Cummings said.
Cummings also thanked the Teamsters Local 25 who donated the trucks and drivers to haul the relief donations to Florida.
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