WAUCHULA, Fla. — The damage and destruction Hurricane Ian brought with it is endless, but so too is the help that is coming after the storm.
That help can be seen within the walls of Hardee Help Center in Wauchula.
Lori Fryers is the outreach coordinator.
She and her team opened the doors of the emergency resource center on Friday.
"What I always say is Hardee County loves Hardee County and we do it well. So, we tend to take care of each other," Fryers said.
The center has served the community for more than a decade and it's need is greater than ever after Hurricane Ian.
As they wait for more government help it's the community of volunteers who are banding together to help one another through food, clothing, or simply someone to listen to.
"We have an elderly volunteer who he is faithfully coming in every week. He always has. He comes in and he sits in my lobby and he talks to my homeless guys just makes conversation. Well, his house is under water," Fryers said.
The philosophy of neighbor helping neighbor spans outside of Hardee Help center's walls.
Paul Samuels wife started the non-profit organization, Send Me Missions more than a decade ago.
A few years before Hurricane Irma they began disaster relief work.
"It’s a blessing every time you get to go because the people you help assist they bless you," Samuels said.
Since Hurricane Ian he and a team of volunteers have helped people with whatever they need whether it be yard pickups or tarps on roofs.
On Monday they helped put a grey tarp on a city worker's roof and that help will continue, proving the human spirit far outweighs what mother nature can do.
Samuels said at the moment they are in need of volunteers. As for Hardee Help Center, Fryers said the center is in need of baby formula and diapers.
For more information on the organizations and how to help, visit https://www.hardeehelpcenter.org/ and https://www.sendmemissions.com/.